wearables 101

Wearables

Replace these… with these… to make these.

really personal electronics.

Why wearables?

● Blend art and technology

● Create something useful and beautiful

● Make a personal statement

Wearables is ‘just’ electronics, except...● The components are

different

● Construction techniques are different

● The fundamentals of good circuit design and programming are the same

Popular Wearable Microcontrollers( Arduino compatible )

Flora

Gemma

LilyPad

LilyTiny

“Sewholes”

Coin Cell Battery Holder

LED

Conductive Stretch Cord

Decrease resistance

Soft Potentiometer

ABC

A

B

C

A

B

C

Conductive Hook and Loop( aka Velcro )

A

B

A

A

B

B

EL Wire / Tape / Panels

Direct Current (DC) ==> Electricity from a batteryAlternating Current (AC) ==> Electricity from a wall outletElectroluminescence (EL)

Requires an “inverter”( Turn DC into AC )

Pressure Sensitive Fabric (Velostat)

Press DownResistance Decreases

Resistance

Sewable Snaps

Make your components easily reusable.

Sewable Breakout Boards

Heating Pad

Temperature Sensor

Flexible Speaker andAmplifier

Buzzer

Light Sensor

Button

Vibrating Motor

Slide SwitchAccelerometer

Circuit Construction

● Conductive Thread● Conductive Fabrics● Conductive Ribbon

Sugru: The NEW Duct Tape

Conductive Paint and Ink

Friends don’t let friends use wires for wearables.

Pinch to illuminate

Build a fabric button

Resources

● Adafruit● Sparkfun● Fine Silver Products● LessEMF● Bare Conductive Paint● Lame Lifesaver● Inventables● Plug and Wear● Joann Fabrics● Michaels

Where to Purchase Wearable Components: Where to Learn More:

● Becky Sterna. youtube.com/bekathwiab. bit.ly/WearableWednesday

Don’t Forget...● Weatherproofing is important

● Design to be repairable

Conductive Paint and Ink

Conductive Paint and Ink