Concept

The emotion I chose to express with this wearable is anger which is represented by red light. To activate the wearable one would cross their arms, and the wearable would subtly glow red. Since crossing one’s arms is a defensive gesture, I decided the the wearable should be a form of soft armor. I was particularly inspired by Pinkabsinthe’s fabric spaulders, which are very much decorative rather than functional. The spaulders use a ring with a metallic component that completes the circuit when one’s arms are crossed. The ring creates a bridge between two patches of conductive fabric found on strap above the elbow. ANGMOUR is modern armour for modern problems.

Objective

My goal was to create I visual representation of anger or discomfort that can be used in situations where physical signs might be missed. Though the light is not particularly noticeable in the daylight, a bystander would easily be able to see by one’s facial expressions and body language that one is unhappy. In low light or even darkness, these cues become hard to read or notice, but the red light becomes very noticeable. ANGMOUR acts as warning sign of one’s discomfort or frustration to bystanders or people one interacts with.

Process

Final Project

Parts List & Circuit Diagram

•  220 ohm resistors (x5)
• 3V battery
• Red LEDs (x5)
• Conductive thread
• Conductive fabric
• Metal tape
• Craft Foam
• Black Acrylic Paint
• Thumb Tacks (x12)
• Thread
• Fabric (Grey, Dark Grey, Black, White)
• PLA Fillament
• Copper Tape
• Hot Glue
• Super Glue
• Felt

Reflection & Next Steps

I am very happy with how this prototype turned out. The spaulders are comfortable, light, and don’t restrict movement. I greatly enjoy the form and the colour of the spaulders, and they are easy to activate. If I were to move forward with this concept, there are some things I would change or improve. I would: make ring base smaller to fit my finger, use reflective fabric rather than metal tape and sew in into the spaulder scales, replace foam with felt as it is more durable, use LED strips or EL wire/tape to create a brighter and more even light, make the belts more adjustable to fit different people, and make the battery pouch tighter (sometimes the contacts don’ touch the battery and the circuit doesn’t work).

Overall, I am happy with the concept and may take in further on my own time or in future projects.

Resources & Related Works

Loving

Video of the work

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Introduction

“Falling in Love” is an expressive wearable electronic tube top that could help people to express their feeling of falling in love with someone, having a crush on, or being attracted to someone, without being embarrassed. But at the same time, it would be pretty and interesting to wear it in a normal situation. Customers could directly wear it or wear it on top of other clothes. The rope in the front is adjustable, so it could fit in easily. Its normal status of the tube top is the fading blue light, which representing being peace and calm. When users feel excited or falling in love, they could put their hand on the position of their heart, it will turn red and blinking to show others your excitement and emotion. The light will be more obvious during the nighttime.

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CONCEPT

Idea & Inspiration

The inspiration first came from the meditation. In the beginning, I would like to make clothes with blue light fading that express the emotion of peacefulness. And later when adding the button which is a heart shape, I decided to change the theme. The heart shape reminds me of the story of my friend that she could not tell the guy that she had a crush on him because she is too shy. So I decided to make clothes that could help people to express and deliver their emotions of falling in love or having a crush on someone.

What I am Creating

I try to use two colours of LED lights to help to express the emotions. Through the research, blue represents calm and red could represent love. Also, in order to fit the conditions of the two moods, the blue LED lights will do fading effect to show calm and peacefulness; the red LED lights will do the blinking effect to show the excitement and the heartbeat. Also, with the blinking effect, it is easier to grab others’ attention.

The clothing used the Circuit Playground Express (CPX), LED lights, and conductive thread. There are blue lights and red lights, representing different modes. The circuit is connected parallel. When it connects to the power source, it will have fading blue light as default. The blue light represents calm and peace, which refer to as the normal status of people. The red light is activated when people put their hands on the position of their hearts. The red light will be blinking to attract the attention of others so that they could know your feeling and emotion. At the position of the heart, there is a “button”, when people put their hand over the button, it will fulfill the condition so that the red lights are on and the blue lights are off. When people move their hand away from the heart position, it will return to the blue light again.

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OBJECTIVE

The objective of “Falling in Love” is trying to help people to express their emotions of falling in love, having a crush on, or being attracted to someone, without feeling embarrassed. I found out that many people are shy or not brave enough to express their love or crush on others. There is also another reason which is that they are afraid of being embarrassed. For example, when one is attracted by someone, but they don’t know each other, if you are a shy person, it will be good if there is a signal that could show your feeling of being attracted. In this way, people don’t need to go up and talk directly. They could interact with the signal of the lights first and deliver the feeling.

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Process

Ideation drawing

First ideation drawing: Inspired by meditation, showing the emotion of peacefulness. I first plan to use a sweater to do the project. The LED light is sewing on the sweater, and there will be some decorative materials to cover the LED lights. And on the right is the circuit diagram that I draw for the project.

The final ideation drawing: I decided to make it into a tube top instead of sewing things on the sweater. And after making the heart-shaped button, I decided to change the theme to show the feeling of falling in love. On the top right is the circuit diagram that I draw for this idea. And the photo below shows the ideation drawing.

Images of the work in process

 Testing the circuit with alligator clips

Video: https://youtu.be/3bFfYUFNYns

Following the first idea, testing different materials on the clothes. And check how the light will go through the decorative materials.

Video: https://youtu.be/E3HvTo24x9M

Redesign the look of the expressive wearable. Test out how it will look again, as well as the light and the materials.

Video: https://youtu.be/WxybnlBR2_Q

Decided to use this material as the decoration on the clothes, since it has the best effect of the light diffusing.

Video: https://youtu.be/yi7zt64TPgg

Sew three pieces of fabrics together to make it a tube top. Adding rope in the middle.

Video: https://youtu.be/Mqq3bNdnLG4

Sew the LED lights on the clothes, as well as the CPX (using conductive thread). Made a heart-shaped button. The button will control the circuit.

Inspired by the heart-shaped button and the love story of my friend, decided to change the theme to express the feeling of falling in love.

Testing the circuit with alligator clips. In this circuit, when it is normal situation, the blue light will fading, CPX will always has blue light on with no effect. When the button is pressed, the CPX will turn pink, the LED lights will turn red, and the red light is blinking.

Video: https://youtu.be/hk6xSWEDVy4

Testing if it is work on the clothes with one blue LED light and red LED light sewed on, as well as button.

Video: https://youtu.be/Uvsqi-Zqyyk

Sew all the LED lights with conductive thread. Testing is in the video.

Video: https://youtu.be/Fx7JiQUi2DY

Cover all the parts with non-conductive materials. Inside, I used black fabric to cover. Outside, I used white tulle fabric. Testing the effect.

Video: https://youtu.be/sqGEekzulGE

The finish look! The video is at the beginning of the blog.

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Part List

- Circit Playground Express 
- LED lights with blue and red colours
- Conductive thread
- Conductive fabric
- Felt (white)
- Tulle fabric (white)
- Yarn (black)
- Fabric (black)
- Glue gun

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Code & Circuit Diagram

The LED lights are connected parallel. A1 is connected to the red LED lights. A2 is connected to the blue LED lights. A3 is connected to the button.

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Reflections & Next step

Reflection

During the process of making the wearable clothing, I found out that it is easy to sew the conductive thread to the wrong side of the led light. For the next time, I should indicate which side is the positive side first, so that it will save a lot of time for the sewing process without resewing something. Also, it is messy with the sewing, for the next time, I should plan well for the sewing part.

Next Step

For future development, I think that sound could be incorporate into the project. For the people who have a disability of sight, they could figure out the status by listening to the sound. At the same time, the different effects of the LED lights could help them to figure out as well (Like the fading and blinking effect now of the wearable clothing). Moreover, the tube top is more for females, maybe there could be other versions for males, children, old people. Another choice will be to redesign the work that makes it into an attachable object that could attach to other clothing. Adding a heartbeat sensor in it might be a good idea as well. So that the light will change automatically depending on the heartbeat. But it will have the problem of delivering the wrong message to others since nervousness will also make the heartbeat go fast.

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Resources and related works 

Inspiration work:

Expressive wearable. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2021, from https://www.sanglidesign.com/expressive-wearables

I inspired by its form.

Resources:

Amsen, E. (2019, July 16). Why some shapes make you feel calm and other shapes seem angry. Retrieved February 23, 2021, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/evaamsen/2019/07/16/why-some-shapes-make-you-feel-calm-and-other-shapes-seem-angry/?sh=31d7e47a337e

Gremillion, A. (2020, June 30). How color impacts emotions and behaviors. Retrieved February 23, 2021, from https://99designs.ca/blog/tips/how-color-impacts-emotions-and-behaviors/#:~:text=Calming%20colors,also%20make%20you%20feel%20calm.

Skill Level: Beginner, & Dia | August 30, 2. (n.d.). Decorative conductive Fabric button – SparkFun Electronics. Retrieved February 23, 2021, from https://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/306

For this expressive wearable, I want to make something to react with the movement of shaking legs. The piece will mount on a shoe with a shoelace. A CPX will be placed inside the designed case. Through my observation, shaking leg is a common action that can reflect one’s psychological reaction to certain things. This initial idea was coming from a Texas poker game experience with my friends. When holding a good pair of hole cards (two cards in hand), he shakes his leg in a higher than usual frequency. While with a plain pair of cards, he stops shaking his leg and may fold his cards within the first two rounds. Also with a good pair of cards but other players are raising the bet, he will step his feet in a low frequency which means he is calculating the chance of winning. In a poker game, players are more focused on the face of their opponents.  Experienced players can guess their opponent’s card by watching the micro-expressions on their faces. With good control on their faces, they may have less control over their lower body.

Inspired by this poker experience and previous shoe customization experience, I have gained the idea of making an add-on device on the shoe. This pleasant shaker shows the tiny expressions of happiness through habits people rarely pay attention to. A straw shows which way the wind blows. A small detail can change something really big.

The CPX is programmed in three modes: constant sparking mode when no motion detected, an animation loop of LEDs when shaking legs, a circle of light blue colour LEDs with stepping (triggered while walking or stamp).

Sparkling LEDs in a loop represent quiet and calm thinking.

Animation LEDs represent excitement.

Light blue LEDs represent thinking in progress.

Objective

By making this project, I want to make myself pay more attention to the small behaviours. Body language can reflect more pieces of information about a person than simply using oral language. Take good control of my own body helps me organized the body and take the initiative in certain things.

Process

Start case prototype trying to fit the CPX.

 

Second prototype. Resizing the mould.

 

Third Prototype. Adding pattern to the lid. (Printing horizontally. Failed)

 

Fourth Prototype. Soften the edges and print vertically.

 

Fifth Prototype. Chang to Black resin for lower transparency.

(Not perfect with the lid)

Sixth Prototype. FINALLY!!!

Assemble on the shoe.

Sparkling Mode

Sparkling

Shaking Mode

Animation LEDs

Sramp Mode

Light Blue LEDs

Material list

The CPX

USB-C Cord

LCD 3D Printer

LCD Transparent/Black Resin

Girlfriend’s Nike Air Force 1

Code

Reflection & Next Step

The final result turns out better than I expected. In my first four moulds, I was planned to add a battery in the back of the case. However, I have tried a few methods to connect the CPX and battery, but it doesn’t work. It is a good inspired project which I can develop further with more sizes of the circuit board. For future development, I will definitely optimize the code for a more accurate reaction to the movement.

References

Prior, O. (2021). MakeCode Introduction [Online Lecture]. Retrieved from https://canvascloud.ocadu.ca/courses/1271/pages/makecode-introduction-45-minutes?module_item_id=109475

Prior, O. (2021). Basic Circuits & Circuit Demonstration [Online Lecture]. Retrieved from https://canvascloud.ocadu.ca/courses/1271/pages/basic-circuits-and-circuit-demonstration-~30-min?module_item_id=108562

ConcealMent

Video：https://youtu.be/umnV9UwX2-w

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-Concept-

This headpiece is inspired by ClassicLolita in the Lolita style. this Lolita style but in minimalist tones, focusing on tailoring to express a clear and elegant mind, such as teal and white. Creating a vintage and elegant aristocratic image, and ruffle pleats are the biggest feature, the overall style is relatively plain and suitable for beginners. classicLolita items at first glance will give a ladylike, serene feeling. But often people are confused by the beautiful appearance of a thing and ignore its true essence.

For this piece I made a pure white lolita headdress made of lace and rose elements, Flora Neopixel and Circuit playground are hidden under the lace. At first the color of the light is red, as the wearer shakes his head the light will turn white. Due to similar wrapping, the lighting effect will not show very obvious. I used this inconspicuousness and ambiguity to create an emotion of hiding and not wanting others to find their true side

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-Objective-

ClassicLolita style stands for lady, purity and various other more elegant adjectives. With this piece, I wanted to express a hidden emotion. The lace and roses embellish the beautiful appearance and hide her true side. People can only see the emotions she wants to express from the outside, but her true feelings are well hidden in it. The red light represents her emotions are more excited, but through a series of quick masking movements, the real emotions are hidden. People can only see the pure white light, and she only ever shows the side she wants to show to others. Through this work, I want to remind people that everything in this world has two sides, and what you see is not necessarily the real one.

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-Process-

 Ideation Drawings

Prototype

 The work in process

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-Final Project Images-

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-Parts List-

• Child’s Veil
• 2.75” Lace Petal Crochet Ribbon
• 3.5” Lace Ribbon
• 5/8 Sheer Wired Ribbon
• Gem Charm
• Conductive thread & regular thread
• White Rose
• Basic white felt
• Pipes
• 4 Flora Neopixel
• 1 Circuit Playground

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-Circuit Diagram-

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-Reflections & Next Steps-

Overall I am relatively satisfied with the finish of the work. The biggest and most time-consuming part I encountered during the production process was sewing the Circuit Playground and NeoPixel parts. The first time I tried, I encountered the problem that the NeoPixel wouldn’t light up. I suspect that it might be because the threads were too messy and I also used several stitching techniques that led to unstable current and poor contact. On the second attempt I succeeded, but there was still the problem of poor contact (sometimes the NeoPixel would not light up). But all in all the work is done. The next step I want to take is not to use lighting effects to show this work. I want to add more interactive elements to the work. For example, the lace on the headpiece will change according to the movement of the wearer or according to the different buttons the wearer presses.

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-Resources & Related Works-

Wearable NeoPixels. (2019). Retrieved February 19, 2021, from https://makecode.adafruit.com/projects/wearable-neopixels

Prior, O. & Yoyo (2021). Basic Circuits & Circuit Demonstration [Online Lecture]. Retrieved from https://canvascloud.ocadu.ca/courses/1271/pages/basic-circuits-and-circuit-demonstration-~30-min?module_item_id=108562

Prior, O. & Yoyo (2021). MakeCode Introduction [Online Lecture]. Retrieved from https://canvascloud.ocadu.ca/courses/1271/pages/makecode-introduction-45-minutes?module_item_id=109475

Concept: For my assignment, I wanted to capture the feeling of walking down the street on a good day while listening to my favourite song, maybe on the way to get trashed with my friends, or on the way home from the mall after buying some sweet shoes. So I conceived the “Having A Good Day Hat,” or “Happy Helmet” as I would call it if that didn’t infringe on the copyright for Ren&Stimpy (probably, I didn’t check).

My objective was, as always, to make exciting fashion items that are still practical for daily wear right now, today, in the present.

Process Time!

I knitted a hat and bought a pompom; I made it attachable/detachable using a button that fit through a buttonhole at the top of the hat, but ended up taking that out and just sewing the elastic loop on the pompom directly (AND invisibly) to the hat.

Parts:
Hat (Yellow and Pink wool yarn from Feisty Fibres)
Pompom
Conductive Thread
Yellow LEDs
Circuit Playground Express controller

Circuit:

I connected the LEDs in a sort of cage around the core of the pompom; I then pulled the fibres out from under them so they are hidden.

I attached all my LEDs, then got ready to test the little circuit and realized half of it was exposed wiring:

Finished Wearable:

[take new photos/edit]

Reflections:

This project confirmed that I am better with the “wearable” part of the course than the “electronics” part. I’m glad the controller comes with an on/off switch built in.

I didn’t realize until I began assembling my design that I had exposed wiring (the LED pins) up against fibre; nothing happened with my wearable, but I think that’s definitely a dangerous thing to have and if this were to be a retail item it wouldn’t be appropriate. Maybe I could wrap the pins in conductive fabric next time. I’m not sure what the best protector would be.

If I did this again, I would make a pompom myself with a fine-gauge, floppy yarn so the LEDs would be easier to hide; they would be incorporated from the start instead of me having to pick apart the fibres of the pre-made pompom to get them down to the bottom of the strands. It was also really hard to link them all together around the core of the pompom like one of those jade puzzle balls.

I originally planned to “cap” the LEDs with some sheer, gauze-like fabric, but I found that so much extra material jammed into the fibres of the pompom really detracted from the overall softness of the item. I hope for my wearables to be completely soft, just like regular clothing, and the crunchy/chunkiness of a bunch of covered LEDs in a not-very-large pompom made it seem too much like a silly craft project instead of fun&casual (yet futuristic) club wear. (below: see-through ribbon that looks cool but wasn’t practical).

Resources:

Prior, O. (2021). MakeCode Introduction. Retrieved from https://canvascloud.ocadu.ca/courses/1271/pages/makecode-introduction-45-minutes?module_item_id=109475

Prior, O. (2021). Adding LEDs. Retrieved from https://canvascloud.ocadu.ca/courses/1271/pages/adding-leds-35-minutes?module_item_id=114426

Feisty Fibres hand dyed Yarn–https://www.feistyfibres.com/

DISTRESS ALERT

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Concept

My idea for this assignment focuses on a wearable that expresses feelings of distress. This is an alert bracelet that can be triggered by tapping on it, that will display colors and sound according to the situation. To use the lights as an advantage, I set them up as morse code. Those who are deaf and blind can immediately know if someone nearby is in distress. It is also useful at night,  to let your surroundings know that you are in need of help. There are two alerts that can let your surroundings know if you are in distress and one alert to let them know you’re okay.  I chose to make it a bracelet because it is the most convenient.

Distress Bracelet Video

Red : Danger    -.. .- -. –. . .-.

This option is for loudly letting your surrounding know you are in critical danger. This has a loud beeping sound.

Blue: Help    …. . .-.. .–.

This option is for discreetly letting your surrounding know you are in an unsafe environment. It has no beeping sound. It is For individuals who are too afraid to speak up and are trapped in an unsafe environment that is invisible to the eye such as an abusive partner…etc.

Green: Fine/good

This option is for individuals who are fine. It only lights up. 

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Objective

I want to create a wearable that expresses feelings of distress because many people may be facing an issue that the public is not aware of. This can lead them to be in greater danger, specifically for people who are introverts and do not want to cause any commotion. One should always feel safe in dark places and public areas with access to help.

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Process

Part List:

1. Circuit Playground Express
2. Conductive thread
3. Conductive fabric
4. Conductive tape
5. Cardboard and paper

I cut out all the pieces I would need to encase the Circuit Playground Express.

 

I attached the conductive fabric onto the CPX then placed the CPX onto the base. I originally used conductive thread and sewn it but I’m not sure why the conductive thread I have is not as conductive. I had to scrap it and rely on conductive tape instead.

I attached the Button Base in the center with the conductive thread with the pin where it will trigger specific light alerts. I originally had four alerts, but it was getting a bit difficult so I now have a total of three alerts.

 

Then finally, I placed the Medium ring onto the bracelet and wrapped the sides with paper, and made a paper ring to mask the lights. I also used tape to cover the button base because of the ineffective conductive thread.

 

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Circuit diagram

The straps act like a power switch, where when you snap them together it will emit a white light to signal it is on, and you will be able to press on the button. Without snapping the straps, the bracelet will not work. I used pin A5 and Ground as my switch button. The functions in MakeCode are the alert lights that I’ve programmed to emit as morse code.

Strap Demo

https://makecode.adafruit.com/#editor

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Reflections & Next Steps 

I actually struggled a bit by coming up with some ideas because the first idea I had, a classmate had already done it which I had to scrap it and make something different. The straps were a bit too small and I wished that I could have made this neater. Also, it would have been easier to color code which section of the button emits the light instead of guessing. Other than that, I am happy with how this came out and how I managed to use the lights to my advantage. 

References

“Morse Code Translator.” Morse Code Translator | Morse Code World, morsecode.world/international/translator.html

“Morse Code.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/topic/Morse-Code

 

“The Presence of Stress”

Concept

The initial concept of this piece is to let other people know whether I’m free to talk or I’m busy with my headphone on. The headphone has a great feature, it can switch between ambient sound mode which allows the user to hear the surrounding sound within a preferred distance and quiet mode for the noise-cancelling purpose. It is very helpful for me since I have many lectures to watch and the quietness allows me to focus when doing homework. The mode-switching function is convenient,  I don’t need to take off my headphone to hear other people’s taking. Yet it sometimes becomes inconvenient when other people talk to me, they don’t know whether I can hear them or not. So I want to design something that can show my availability for conversation.

As I worked on the design, I found out that it is closely associated with my pressure. When I’m relaxed, I seek people to meet my social need. When I have some negative emotional swings, I can maintain a normal conversation, but I preferred to listen to music. When I’m under excessive stress, I want to isolate myself from the outside world to calm myself down.

Instead of an indicator for my headphone mode, it is more of an indicator of my stress and willingness to socialize in practice.

Objective

The objective is to display the modes straight forward, so I picked three primary colours: blue, yellow, and red.

Blue means I’m in a relaxed mode with the ambient sound function on, people can talk to me about anything and expect me to respond. Yellow means I still have works to do; it’s okay to talk to me but I may give short responses and go back to my ongoing task. Red means I’m under stress and busy with my work, I wish to stay alone before I can deal with this stress properly.

Another important objective is easy to switch. Therefore, I chose a headband as the base material and switching between three modes by a simple shift of the headphone.

Process

 

I first started with programming. After I drew the basic circuit layout on the fabric, I started with sewing.

(initial testing with alligator wire before sewing the circuit)

(testing the connectivity while sewing)

(It’s really hard to find the thread on patterned fabric, so I outlined the flow of the circuit beside the threads. The unconnected part of A6 and A4 are left for the conductive fabric on the headphone to complete)

(this is my original idea of the headphone, yet later I found it is too short to connect the pin and the ground)

(A reworked version. The folds of the headscarf make the circuit hard to connect, so I decided to use a longer piece of conductive fabric that can cover each place.)

Final Result

(expecting conversation, finished homework and have nothing to do)

(thinking about ongoing tasks, a little anxious)

(stressed out, watching anatomy lectures and editing my history essay)

Material List

• USB cable
• needle
• normal thread
• conductive thread
• scissors
• headphones
• conductive fabric
• CPX

Circuit Diagram

Reflections & Next Steps

This is an interesting and fun experience, the hardest part would be threading the needle. I tried to incorporate the sound feature yet found it quite disturbing and didn’t know how to set it to play the sound once when switching mode instead of looping.

This assignment made me interested in CPX and electronic wearables. I learned how much potential it has through my own experience. I wish to continue to explore the features of CPX in my future projects and exploration journals.

References

Prior, O. (2021). Digital Switches & Buttons Overview. Retrieved from https://canvascloud.ocadu.ca/courses/1271/pages/digital-switches-and-buttons-overview-20-minutes?module_item_id=113950

Prior, O. (2021). Sound, Movement, Light, and Vibration. Retrieved from https://canvascloud.ocadu.ca/courses/1271/pages/sound-movement-light-and-vibration-1-hour?module_item_id=116654

K.Y.A.A.H

 

 

Initially, when I was thinking about the concept of an expressive wearable, it was very late at night, and I was exhausted. That’s when it struck me, what if I had a wearable that was able to help someone stay awake while they worked late. I was not sure if fatigue was an emotion however after one Google search the bots at Google reassured me that it is! Introducing, the one, the only, Keep Your Ass Awake Hat or! Wait! Let me explain before you judge me. It is a hat that you can wear while you study/work that will sound off an alarm if it detects your head drop lower than a 45-degree angle. Think of it as a friend who is constantly trying to keep your ass awake so you can ace your exam. I am aware that some students might not be sitting up straight when they study they could be lying down or slouching however, with a simple change in the make-code the product can be used in whatever position you find comfortable. 

My objective from this point on was to create an expressive wearable that looks like a regular article of clothing but also helps you stay awake. I took inspiration from different products that serve a dual purpose like ear muffs that are headphones, hoodies double as safety vests or even Snapchat’s sunglasses that double as a camera (weird).

 

Process

 

This is the concept that I started with. Simply, if you’re awake the CPX will do nothing but once your head drops the alarm will go off. To start things off, I started with this very simple concept drawing detailing the two stages the product will have and the circuit diagram to make it work.

I then built the program in make code. The program works by actively sensing where the CPX face is facing. When the CPX is faced downwards the LEDs on the CPX face will turn red and it will turn on a buzzer. If it is in any other state the CPX will be displaying a neutral white.

Parts List

• Medical tape
• Conductive Thread
• 220Ω resistor
• CPX micro-controller
• Micro USB cable
• Old Beanie
• Conductive Fabric
• Mini Dc Buzzer

I started creating the actual circuit by combining the CPX, DC buzzer and resistor using conductive fabric, conductive thread, and medical tape. 

Reflection + Next steps

Looking back at the whole process of making this product there are a few things that I would change. Firstly, when I was wearing the hat I could feel the CPX unit and buzzer as it was quite tight. I would fix this by spreading the different parts of the circuit more evenly. Secondly, I would want to try to add more buzzers however, the more buzzers I put the more faulty the connection was. Also, it would have been advantageous to have some sort of vibration motor so that there would be a physical simulation, as well as an audible one. I feel that after the entire process I have learned a lot. I spent 4 hours experimenting and troubleshooting different variations of code, and then I spent another 2 learning how to sew. As this is my first time making a wearable product it took me longer than expected but in the end, I feel I am in a good position to explore further and create different products similar to this one. Ex. A nightcap/eye mask that doubles as an alarm clock, a baby hat that plays music when the infant cries, a workout sweatband that vibrates and dings to let you know when you’re rest is over.

Resources + Related work

 

Pendrill , Katherine. “Player-Connected Rugby Jerseys.” TrendHunter.com, TREND HUNTER Inc., 2 July 2015, www.trendhunter.com/trends/rugby-jerseys. 

Hemsworth, Michael. “Gesture-Control Denim Jackets.” TrendHunter.com, TREND HUNTER Inc., 23 May 2016, www.trendhunter.com/trends/connected-jacket. 

McQuarrie, Laura. “Text Messaging Hoodies.” TrendHunter.com, TREND HUNTER Inc., 9 Oct. 2014, www.trendhunter.com/trends/smart-hoodie. 

 

Concept: “Warm company” is a scarf that can shine at night. It usually looks like the same as ordinary scarves, but once people wrap their mouths with it, it will emit yellow light when they feel the heat exhaled by people.

Objective： My wearable is inspired by the feeling of “loneliness”. When I walk alone on a snowy night in Toronto and see couples or a group of friends walking together on the street, sometimes I feel very lonely. I think there are many people like me who choose to walk home quietly after work or after a party. Although I don’t always have the idea of “I’m lonely by myself”, once I do, I often feel depressed all night. So my wearable is to bring a little comfort to everyone who has to walk alone at this time. Whenever they look down, they can see their scarves glowing yellow. Hope that on every cold night, even if there is no one beside them, these warm lights can always accompany them.

process:

I got an electric shock the first time I tried. I was scared.

On the second try, the circuit was improved and safe.

 

final project image:

Parts List:

• scarf
• needles
• pen
• switch
• conductive lines
• scissor
• LEDs
• cardboard

Circuit Diagram:

Reflections & Next Steps:

This assignment is like a demo of my designed wearable. It seems that my design is feasible. I only connected five light bulbs on one side of the scarf in this assignment, but I may connect more light bulbs in the future which are enough to circle around the bottom of the scarf. In addition, a heat sensor needs to be installed on the top of the scarf, that is, the side close to the neck, to meet my original design idea of turning on the light bulb by sensing the heat emitted by people’s breathing.

 

Reference:

Prior, O. & Yoyo (2021). Digital Switches & Buttons Overview [Online Lecture]. Retrieved from https://canvascloud.ocadu.ca/courses/1271/pages/digital-switches-and-buttons-overview-20-minutes?module_item_id=113950

Concept:  The concept for this project is to create a real life “Energy Bar” that shows how much energy you have left.  The emotion that this is displaying is exhaustion.  The way that the device works is throughout the day, it will show 3 different levels of energy; high, medium, and low.  Each of the different levels is displayed through the use of different coloured LEDs.  Green for high, orange for medium, and red for low.  The energy level can be checked by pressing a button, and can be reset by holding the button for at least 3 seconds.

 

Objective:  The reason that I’m trying to create this concept is that in the past I have had trouble with getting to bed at a reasonable time, convincing myself that just one more hour won’t hurt and I can just go to bed earlier the next day.  The way that the device works is that it splits the waking day into 3 parts; high energy, medium energy and low energy.  The high energy portion of the day takes place between the time you wake up and for the next 6 hours.  Then the medium energy portion takes place during the next 8 hours.  Finally, the low energy portion takes place in the last 2 waking hours.  This device can be used to express your exhaustion by showing that you’ve been up for at least 14 hours already when the red light is shown.  It can also be used personally to make sure that you’re starting to wind down and not starting any new projects when the red light is shown, or to try and make sure you’re done exercising by the time that the orange light appears.

Final Project Images:

Process images:

 

Parts List: 

• Etched circuit board
• 15k resistor
• 3 LEDs
  • Orange
  • Red
  • Green
• 360mAh Li-Po battery
• Button
• 3D printed case
• Solder
• Scrap copper
• ATTiny412-SSNR

 

• (All parts below used to program the ATTiny412)

 

• Arduino Uno
• Jumper wires
• 10 microfarad electrolytic capacitor
• 4.7k resistor
• Etched circuit board

 

Circuit Diagram: 

Reflections & Next Steps: This project was a really fun experiment and was my first time working with an ATTiny412.  Some things that I think I would improve upon for next time is better optimizing the space used on the circuit board, and maybe use SMD parts so that I could reduce the size of the project, as the original idea was to have the entire device able to clip onto a watch band rather than a waist band.  Another thing that could definitely be improved upon is the method through which I program the ATTiny. I think that using some kind of press in order to make the connections to the terminals would be a much better solution than trying to manually solder and desolder each of the tiny pads on the ATTiny, which took the better part of an hour to solder and another 30m to desolder.  Another thing that I would change is to add functionality to the project to be able to recharge the Li-Po battery on site rather than having to disconnect it in order to recharge.  The only reason it wasn’t included in this project is because I didn’t have the required components on hand to safely recharge the batteries without using a pre-existing charger.  Overall, I’m happy with how the final project turned out and I can’t wait to continue onto the next one.

 

Resources:

ATtiny412 Datasheet (2020).  Microchip.com https://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/en/DeviceDoc/ATtiny212-214-412-414-416-DataSheet-DS40002287A.pdf

Programming the ATTiny with the Arduino IDE (2020). Electronics Lab https://www.electronics-lab.com/project/getting-started-with-the-new-attiny-chips-programming-the-microchips-0-series-and-1-series-attiny-with-the-arduino-ide/