9. Wearables¶
Research¶
Wearable technology combines electronics, materials science, and design to create functional items that can be worn comfortably on the body while providing technological utility. This includes smart textiles, embedded sensors, conductive materials, and energy solutions.
Material and Design considerations¶
-
Durability: It must withstand stretching, bending and daily wear
-
Washability: Electronics need protection from water and detergent damage
-
Comfort: Lightweight, breathable fabric that does not irritate skin
-
Sustainability: Use of biodegradable materials, recycled textiles and low-energy production methods.
Sustainability approaches¶
-
Material innovation such as organic cotton, bamboo, biodegradable polymers.
-
Energy efficiency- harvesting body heat or motion to power devices
-
Lifecycle design- easy disassembly for recycling or repair.
Examples¶
1) Smart fitness bands measuring heart rate and activity.
2) E-textile shirts tracking posture or respiration
3) Smart shoes
4) Temperature regulating fabric.
## Reference and Inspiration
Cindy Hsin-Liu Kao work helps in bridging technology,textile, wearability and human-centered design
{width=200 align=left }
Asha Peta Thompson creates smart textile fabrics by embedding sensors. One of her works is the e-uniforms for infantry.
In Kenya, Roy Allela invented smart gloves that convert hand signs to audio speech.
Tools¶
- Arduino UNO
- Arduino IDE
- Temperature/humidity sensor
- CNC Router
- Power supply
- ESP 32
Process and workflow¶
This weeks activity I look forward to test wearability by testing the temperature and humidity of the environmentand how that can be regulated in the body.
I collaboarated with Ernest Kimani in this week's activity. We used black canva as our fabric.
Canva is a durable, heavy-duty fabric known for its strength and versatility, and it is made using a plain weave technique.
We used black canva because black materials are good absorbers and emitter of heat; According to Kirchhoff's law of thermal radiation.
Summary Comparison¶
| Property | Black Material | White Material |
|---|---|---|
| Heat absorption | Absorbs more heat | Absorbs less heat |
| Heating rate (sun) | Heats up faster | Heats up slower |
| Heat emission | Emits more heat | Emits less heat |
| Cooling rate | Cools down faster | Cools down slower |
STEPS¶
Kimani helped in designing the wooden box using fusion 360 and we cut it using CNC machine and assembed it together.
Assembly of the electronic together¶
I used temperature/humidity sensor. I connected the sensor on the breadboard together with the ESP 32 for wifi connection and generated the following code.
Using 9v battery as our power source but the power supply board failed us to we had to use from the main socket.
We mounted the breadboard together with ESP32 and the sensor on the box and powered it using electricity through an extensio cable.
