Assignment 2: Expressive Wearable – ANGMOUR

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