Skip to content

5. E-textiles

References & Inspiration

Working with electronics isn’t exactly my strongest skill, but it’s something I’ve been wanting to get better at for a long time. I really believe that as our material world becomes more alive — more responsive, interactive, and communicative — we’ll be able to uncover new layers of human experience that we haven’t yet explored.

One of my biggest inspirations is Behnaz Farahi. I love how she uses interactivity and advanced materials to explore deep themes like emotion, feminism, bodily perception, and social connection. Her work reminds me that technology can be both critical and poetic at the same time.

Behnaz Farahi's Critical Matter

For this week’s assignment, I’m inspired to create something along the lines of Elizabeth Meiklejohn, Laura Devendorf, and Irene Posch’s Magnetic Reverberations, and Laura Devendorf, Sasha de Koninck, Shanel Wu, and Emma Goodwill’s A Fabric That Remembers. I want to explore tactile and embodied interactions — ways materials can sense, respond, and hold traces of touch or movement.

Research

This week, I focused on understanding the basics of electronics and interaction — how sensors, circuits, and programming can bring materials to life.

1. Understanding the Basics

Concept What It Means Notes
Circuit A path that lets electricity flow. Needs a power source and a load (output). The base of all electronics.
↳ Series Circuit One shared path → same current, split voltage. If one part breaks, the whole circuit stops.
↳ Parallel Circuit Multiple paths → same voltage, split current. Each path works independently.
Voltage (V) Electrical “pressure” that pushes current. Must meet or exceed forward voltage.
Current (A) Flow of electricity from + to –. Too much can burn components.
Resistance (Ω) How much a material slows current flow. Controlled with resistors.

More on this in Liza Stark’s lecture

2. Sensor Basics

Type Signal Example
Digital ON / OFF Button, switch
Analog Variable or continuous Light, pressure, temperature

2.1 Creating Basic Digital Sensor

Components

# Name Description
1. Felt Soft base layer that provides structure and insulation.
2. Conductive Tape Used to carry electrical current between layers.
3. Folding Fabric (with hole in the center) Flexible middle layer that allows the circuit to bend and connect through the hole.
4. Felt Extension Strip + Conductive Tape + Paper Clip Connector Combination layer that extends the connection outward, adds top conductive tape, and attaches the clip as a connector.

Final Assembly and Exploded of Digital Sensor

Assembly Steps

Step Action Notes
1. Start with the Top Felt. This will serve as the uppermost layer of the circuit.
2. Apply conductive tape on the underside of the top felt. This creates the upper contact surface.
3. Add the Connector Layer — felt extension strip + conductive tape + paper clip connector. Make sure the connector touches the conductive tape on the underside of the top felt.
4. Place the Folding Fabric (with a hole in the center) underneath the connector layer. Align the hole directly with the contact area so current can pass through.
5. Apply conductive tape on the top side of the base felt layer. This connects with the layers above through the hole.
6. Position the Base Felt as the final layer. Serves as the main structure and insulation for the circuit.

All layers are assembled with double-sided tape.

*Digital Sensor Test*

2.1 Creating Basic Analog Sensor

# Name Description
1. Felt Soft structural layer that provides flexibility and insulation.
2. Conductive Tape Creates the electrical pathways between layers.
3. Velostat Pressure-sensitive material; its resistance changes when pressed.

describe what you see in this image

*Final Assembly and Exploded of Analog Sensor*

Assembly Steps

Step Action Notes
1. Start with the Top Felt. This serves as the upper layer of the sensor.
2. Apply conductive tape on the underside of the top felt and slightly over the edge. Acts as the top electrode for signal output.
3. Place the Velostat beneath the conductive side of the top felt. This forms the pressure-sensitive layer.
4. Apply conductive tape on the top side of the base felt. Acts as the bottom electrode, connecting to ground.
5. Position the Base Felt under the Velostat to complete the stack. Provides structure, insulation, and flexibility.

describe what you see in this image

*Analog Sensor Test*


  • Image reference

centered image with credits/reference
  • Download reference

Links to reference files, PDF, booklets,

about your images..

  1. Remember to credit/reference all your images to their authors. Open source helps us create change faster together, but we all deserve recognition for what we make, design, think, develop.

  2. remember to resize and optimize all your images. You will run out of space and the more data, the more servers, the more cooling systems and energy wasted :) make a choice at every image :) This image is optimised in size with resolution 72 and passed through tinypng for final optimisation.

Tools

Process and workflow

My sketches are ...

This schematic 1 was obtained by..

This tutorial 2 was created using..

footnote fabrication files

Fabrication files are a necessary element for evaluation. You can add the fabrication files at the bottom of the page and simply link them as a footnote. This was your work stays organised and files will be all together at the bottom of the page. Footnotes are created using [ ^ 1 ] (without spaces, and referenced as you see at the last chapter of this page) You can reference the fabrication files to multiple places on your page as you see for footnote nr. 2 also present in the Gallery.

Code Example

Use the three backticks to separate code.

// the setup function runs once when you press reset or power the board
void setup() {
  // initialize digital pin LED_BUILTIN as an output.
  pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT);
}

// the loop function runs over and over again forever
void loop() {
  digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, HIGH);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)
  delay(1000);                       // wait for a second
  digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, LOW);    // turn the LED off by making the voltage LOW
  delay(1000);                       // wait for a second
}

Results

Video

From Vimeo

Sound Waves from George Gally (Radarboy) on Vimeo.

From Youtube

---

Fabrication files

  1. File: xxx ↩

  2. File: xxx ↩