How Wearable Technology Works" For most people, fun is the hook that makes new technology worth investigating. Wearable technology promises entertainment galore. Video games are bigger than ever, with cinematic appeal and wow-inducing special effects. Still, the games would be more immersive with more life-like control systems. That's what the PrioVR plans to deliver. Depending on the model, you'll attach between eight and 17 inertial sensors to your body. Wearable cameras are nothing new; mountain bikers, parachutists and other adventuresome souls have been using them for years. Desperate to improve your baseball, golf or tennis swing? Most wearables aren't quite ready for prime time, though. Knit a Working Circuit Forget about circuit boards and start thinking about circuit stitches with this illuminating tutorial by electronic art professor Jesse Seay on how to knit your own circuitry. …I developed a method to “print” circuit boards on my knitting machine, with materials that are inexpensive, easily available, and solderable. The method works with both traditional electronic components and with e-textile components. As Seay explains in the introduction, this tutorial assumes that you already know how to knit and shows you how to integrate wiring into your knitting by design a knitting pattern that will allow you to make connections between electronic components, just like an ordinary circuit board. Once you get the hang of it, it’s fun to turn “traditional” circuit designs into knitted circuit designs.[...] Then, just solder in your components and connect them to a power source and voilà knitted circuitry! Related
The 10 Most Amazing Electronic Clothes Of the Century Computers? Clothes? What's the difference? Let’s face it, without the technology you use everyday you’d be pretty stuck. No automatic coffee pot, no iPhone, no GPS helping you crash your car. Need to make a big impression at a formal event? Why buy computerized clothing when you can make your own? Kanjun Qie from MIT Media Lab made a really cool sound-producing hoodie called the Soundie. Not useful enough? For those of us with a little electronics know-how the Arduino Lilypad is definitely a great option to make some kick-ass electronic-wear. Sports injuries can take years to overcome, and when you’re a professional athlete they can cost you a lot more than time. Also by Cute Circuit, the Hug Shirt stands on a basic premise: we all want to reach out and touch someone. The Hug Shirt lets you hug yourself and send a warm feeling to someone on the other side of the planet. ...This is a situation ripe for abuse. Fibretronics lets you embed a walkie talkie into your coat.
SEW ELECTRIC | DIY PROJECTS THAT COMBINE FABRIC, ELECTRONICS AND PROGRAMMING Arduino LilyPad for Clothing Overview The LilyPad Arduino is a microcontroller board designed for wearables and e-textiles. It can be sewn to fabric and similarly mounted power supplies, sensors and actuators with conductive thread. The board is based on the ATmega168V (the low-power version of the ATmega168) (datasheet) or the ATmega328V (datasheet). Downloads Schematic: LilyPad_schematic_v18.pdf EAGLE (CAD) Files: LilyPad_Board_v18.zip Summary Warning: Don't power the LilyPad Arduino with more than 5.5 volts, or plug the power in backwards: you'll kill it. Programming The LilyPad Arduino can be programmed with the Arduino software (download). The ATmega168V or ATmega328V on the Arduino LilyPad comes preburned with a bootloader that allows you to upload new code to it with the Arduino software. Power The LilyPad Arduino can be powered via the USB connection or with an external power supply. If an external power supply is used, it should provide between 2.7 and 5.5 volts. Physical Characteristics Washability More Information