Assignment 1: Speculative Wearable

Student Number:3184186

Ideation

3184186_ideation

Concept

Smart Sticker is a clothing sticker that functions as a digital display screen. Clothing stickers are small patches that are often used to cover ripped holes. Smart Sticker has a different concept in mind, it is an interface for people to express their uniqueness. Current temperature, news headline, you can put anything you like on it. It can put on the majority of textiles and is controlled by software and comes in different shapes.

Imagine you are listening to your favourite song and eager to share it with anyone you met, why don’t display it on Smart Sticker, so everyone who walks past you would see it. Be a walking clock and remind everyone that time worth money. Or bring some fun to the party by being a walking cinema. If you prefer to stay out of attention, simply use it to display your silly sketch. Having some freshness without buying a new piece of clothing!

For small pieces of Smart Stick such as a stripe, stick it on your beanie or bucket hat with your monthly motto. For unique shapes such as a koi fish (see image below), stick it on your skinny jeans or leggings with the mood detector, show others how you felt. For larger pieces, there is a great possibility to explore.

Smart Sticker can also be put into commercial use. Promoting a brand or a product with the video/image display function. Use it as a dynamic name tag when holding events.

Objective

The objective of this design is to use clothes as a second media space for people to express themselves. We are active online but rarely have the same enthusiasm in the real life. I hope Smart Sticker can be a bridge between the digital space and real life, allow people to explore their creativity and let them play with its functions. 

Design

 

3184186_design

Paper Prototype

3184186_paper-prototype

Physical Moodboard

3184186_moodboard

Similar Works

Shane Richmond, S. (2011, May 08). Researchers demonstrate flexible epaper phone. Retrieved January 19, 2021, from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8499170/Researchers-demonstrate-flexible-epaper-phone.html

The flexibility of epaper inspired me the mix of digital screen and textiles.

‘BEST SELLER – the witcher sign Merchandise’ Hoodie (Pullover) by andovergaz. (n.d.). Retrieved January 18, 2021, from https://www.redbubble.com/i/hoodie/BEST-SELLER-the-witcher-sign-Merchandise-by-andovergaz/63803556.YFBT8?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=g.pla notset&country_code=CA&gclid=CjwKCAiAgJWABhArEiwAmNVTB3IPgI7WPg-ndCJLhy6_RJ-DrfwMu5IiwNK-cAfrN299x8DOenaX3BoCnp4QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I am a big fan of video games, I would choose clothes with video game characters or logos e when I’m shopping. I bought this one along with a few other even if I do not need them, and I know my interest in this games would fade out in a short period of time. So I started wonder what if there is a kind of clothes that can change its image whenever I want.

Assignment 1 — Speculative Wearable: Kate Jung

Process:

I began my brainstorming process with the ideation exercise, and came up with three different combinations with 7 total variations. After completing my ideation process for the earrings, I decided to move forward with earrings as the form of my speculative wearable.

processprocess-2process-1

Concept & Objective:

My wearable is a pair of earrings that detects high levels of anxiety or stress on the wearer, then activates sound therapy to provide them instant, discrete support.

As someone who experiences anxiety (and know people with other mental health conditions such as PTSD), I always thought it would be great for there to be a device that alleviates stress in real-time, and help those who need calming down — even if the impact is small. Therefore, my concept for the wearable is a pair of earrings that is constructed of two parts:

First, the input: a gemstone-like stud is pressed against the earlobe and measures stress with photoplethysmogram (PPG) technology, monitoring the pulse through blood flow in the skin. Following similar devices on the market (such as the Apple Watch and Samsung Gear), the technology allows light to be emitted through LED, which gets reflected by blood present under the skin. The reflected light is absorbed by photodiode to detect blood flow.

Because earrings are worn flush against the skin, this would create a better quality of contact between the device and the skin, and provide comfort to the wearer rather than having to wear clunky fitness watches or heart-rate monitors. Also, while wrist or skin-based devices sometimes shift around depending on a person’s movements, earrings can provide a more stable reading. According to research by ‘The Ear-o-Smart Smart Earring’ — another form of wearable earrings — physicians regularly use the earlobe to monitor the heart rate and blood oxygen of patients because the high blood flow in the area provides greater accuracy.

Second, the output: Once the top part of the earrings detects high rates of blood pressure, the bottom part (the part of the earrings that ‘dangle’ underneath and is larger, with a shell-like shape) would be triggered. This is a mini audio transmitter. The ‘holes’ that are dotted along the lines of this area would be where audio would be transmitted through the speaker.

In science, there has always been strong evidence that music has mental and physical health benefits. Audio such as vibrational therapy or meditation also offers therapeutic benefits to the body.

According to the Center for trauma, Stress and Anxiety, these are some benefits of sound healing:

– Immediate reduction in anxiety and stress
– Improves symptoms of depression
– Improves stress management
– Promotes sleep
– Reduces blood pressure
– Increases blood circulation
– Enhances memory, concentration, and focus
– Improves mood and sense of happiness

There are different forms of audio that can be therapeutic to those who are experiencing anxiety / stress, including alpha waves, vibrational waves, meditation sound therapy — or even just playing their favourite, relaxing song. I would imagine my wearable would allow the users the capability of progamming their own, preferred sounds onto the device depending on what helps them the most.

In conclusion, these earrings can be worn by anyone in the world who experiences stress and anxiety, but may have a larger benefit for those who experiences regular forms of mental health issues such as anxiety attacks, depression, etc. The earrings can also be worn in all-day, every-day use as they shouldn’t look too different than a normal pair of earrings (my paper prototype actually ended up a little bit larger than I would imagine it). Because it’s comfortable to wear and identical to the feeling of wearing normal earrings, people would be able to wear it for extended periods of time.

Images:

Sketches

sketch-01 sketch-02 sketch-03

Paper Prototype
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Material Moodboard:

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The following are some material that inspired me when imagining this wearable:
– A portable battery with a steel-like cover
– A speaker with metal netting
– Some earrings (one with a gemstone, and the other a smooth metal)
– A coin
– Metal beads
– A reflective gemstone

Similar Works:

The Ear-o-Smart Smart Earring: The Ear-o-Smart is a smart earring that is designed to function as a fitness tracker. It is able to detect heart rate, calories, as well as activity level. (The information I included above about the earlobe as an ideal location for heart rate tracking was sourced from their website.)

Pip: This device is a biosensor that senses electrodermal activity (EDA), the electrical changes at the surface in the skin, to detect stress response. When the wearer grasps it between their fingers, this information is communicated via Bluetooth technology to Pip’s iOS and Android Apps.

References:

Home |. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://thepip.com/en-eu/

BioSensive. (n.d.). Introducing Joule Earring Backings! Retrieved from https://shopjoule.com/

Vibrational Sound Healing. (2020, December 29). Retrieved from https://www.ctsatherapy.com/vibration-sound-healing/

Wei, M. (2019, July 05). The Healing Power of Sound as Meditation. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/urban-survival/201907/the-healing-power-sound-meditation

Assignment 1: Speculative Wearable – Giulia Zefilippo (3179987)

Concept:
The Angry Belt activity tracker is a fashionable belt that senses your movements. If you haven’t moved enough in an hour, it will give you a gentle squeeze to remind you to move. It’s happy when you’re moving, but once you sit down for long periods of time, it will get upset and the belt will tighten its length.

scan-2021-01-18-21_00_02When the Angry Belt activity tracker is active, the front of the belt will show an angry red face on a display (which is part of the belt buckle). It then sends a signal to a tiny motor, which reduces the length of the belt and squeezes the user slightly. Once the user realizes the squeeze and they start moving, it will then sense the active movement and revert to its original length. Once the user achieves the movement goal, the angry face will turn into a green smiley face for a brief period and then go inactive.

Objective:
My goal was to design an activity tracker that does not fit into the stereotypical fitness tracker. The user wouldn’t need to worry about an accessory or additional add-on because it would be an essential item. It’s also a tracker that pushes the user to be more active and not ignore it.

Paper Prototype:
angrybelt-interaction

Material Mood Board:
The Angry Belt activity tracker would be made from either a durable nylon string or flexible yarn material that could be easily stretched or constricted.
material-mood-board

Similar Works:
Heart Rate Monitor Strap MZ-3. (n.d.). MyZone. Retrieved January 18, 2021, from https://www.myzone.org/mz-3
Stables, J., & Stables, J. (2015, December 23). Jawbone UP Move review. Wareable. https://www.wareable.com/fitness-trackers/jawbone-up-move-review

Assignment 1: Speculative Wearable Valeria Suing

GlucTech: Low Glucose Warning Necklace

GlucTech is a necklace that can connect to a continuous glucose monitor via Bluetooth. Continuous glucose monitors (CGM) are used by people who have diabetes to control their glucose levels throughout the day. Low glucose levels can be dangerous, and they need immediate care. Most CGMs need to be scanned and don’t give any warnings for low glucose events. This is why GlucTech will turn on LED lights on its necklace pendant, warning the person wearing it to follow their usual treatment. Furthermore, there can be a possibility of creating a network of necklaces that can be used by close friends and family that can check on their loved ones and make sure they’re okay.

Drawings

a1_wearables-01 a1_wearables-02

Designs can be customized with different prints, so it blends with their clothes and make wearing the necklaces enjoyable.

a1_wearables-03

There can also be a phone app that sets reminders and makes connecting with family and friends much easier.

Main User   vs.   Family & Friends

appmockup-03

 

Paper Prototype

7fbc3cdd-44ee-4d1b-bda9-5423fb6993ad-1

The pendant part of the necklace would be made out of wood, the chain would be made out of an e-textile that looks like a soft faux leather cord and the battery container could be made out of plastic covered with some fabric. This is to make the necklace comfortable and easy to wear. Pattern designs could be added to the wood with fabric.

This is a picture of me wearing it.

img_0429

Material Mood Board

img_0421

Process

The idea came from the Ideation Exercise where I chose the following set of random words: “necklace” “weak” & “care for someone”

Low glucose events can make a person feel weak and disoriented and a prompt warning can help with symptoms.

process-work

Similar Works

MiaoMiao: MiaoMiao is a smart reader for a CGM brand (Freestyle Libre). It works by attaching it on top of the sensor and connecting it with Bluetooth. They now have accessories such as watches that connect with the reader and gives warnings when glucose is off the charts.

Dexcom G6: Dexcom G6 is a CGM that offers warnings through their phone app with no need of scanning it to get readings.

Reference List:

Dexcom. (2020, August 25). en-CA Dexcom G6 CGM System. https://www.dexcom.com/en-CA/en-ca-dexcom-g6-cgm-system
MiaoMiao. (2021). Products. https://miaomiao.cool/collections/all

Assignment1: Speculative Wearable

Concept: My wearable is a black mini earring that can detect how long you’re watching the screen with the blue laser emitted by the screen. Once it’s over 3 hours, the device will make a slight sound to remind you that you should give your eyes and body a break. You just need to press the glass gently to stop the sound.

Objective: My wearable is meant to remind people balancing their work time and rest time reasonably. Even if our work and study situation forces us to use computers for long periods  every day, we should stay away from electronic devices for a while. This is to protect our physical health, especially the eyes’ health. In addition, sometimes we feel tired but embarrassed to say it to others. The sound of the earring will make others realize that you have been working for a long time, you need a rest.

Drawings:

picture1          picture2

Material Mood Board:

picture3

Similar Works:

I found two institutions that focus on people’s health and medical care.

  1. Sensely APP(2020): Sensely’s avatar and chatbot-based platforms assist insurance plan members and patients with the insurance services and healthcare resources they need, when they need it.Sensely – Apps on Google Play
  2. AiCure：AiCure uses an easy-to-use, proprietary AI platform to directly engage and provide support to patients via smartphones to deliver meaningful, high-quality data around patient behavior.AiCure – The link between patients, disease and treatment.

Assignment 1: Speculative Wearable

Concept:

My wearable is meant to provide a physical and visual representation of your heart (pulse). It reads your pulse from your wrist as any other fitbit or smartwatch can do. In reaction to your pulse in the wearable will inflate and deflate in sync with your heart rate in real time. As Well as a pedometer correlating with the lights on the wearable in green, yellow, or red to represent if your heart rate is too dangerously high or slow based on how you’re moving.

Objective:

The objective of this wearable is to provide haptic feedback and visual language to help understand or feel or see a part of your body that is well hidden. It could help with breathing and calming yourself being able to give a greater feedback feel in order to assist with breathing if you have anxiety issues and just a greater awareness of your body.

Drawings:

2021-01-18_120154

Mood Board:

img_20210118_114448

img_20210118_114452

img_20210118_114545img_20210118_114711

Similar Works:

Polar H10: Heart rate monitor chest strap. (n.d.). Retrieved January 18, 2021, from https://www.polar.com/ca-en/products/accessories/h10_heart_rate_sensor 
Loveridge, S. (2020, March 17). What is haptic feedback and how will it change the way we play? Retrieved January 18, 2021, from https://www.gamesradar.com/haptic-feedback-explained/

 

 

 

 

 

Assignment 1: Speculative Wearable – Angelina Do (3182746)

Concept

The “Emerald of Emotions” is a necklace designed for the dating scene of the 21st century. Dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, Hinger, and Grinder can become exhausting when date-after-date goes wrong. This product allows easy communication between two people to avoid those awkward chats. The “Emerald of Emotions” senses the human heart rate and temperature after a date has been completed. A high heart rate and hot body temperature corresponds with a positive experience, while an average heart rate and average body temperature indicates a missing spark. Instead of having the, “no I would not like to see you again” conversation, it is simply avoided with the glow of LED lights through an elegant emerald.

The emerald has a built-in heart rate monitor and thermometer that is recorded in our corresponding app. The two levels are careful monitored allowing ranges to fit in specific colours. Red means that the individual enjoyed themselves during the date and would like to see their partner again Orange means that the date was just okay and that they could revisit the possibility of a second date. Grey means the date was unpleasant and the individual would not like to see their date again. Our app allows users to turn this necklace on and off via their mobile device, allowing for casual wear as well.

Objective

The objective of this jewelry piece is to speed up the process of finding your one true match! Going on second dates with people that you were never compatible with is a waste of time. Your true feelings will be revealed even if you’re too timid to say it with your own words.

This product has a timeless look of a classic diamond necklace, allowing versatility and subtleness of the wearer. The target market is primary users of dating apps or speed-dating (Millennials and Gen Z).

Sketches & Research

h

emerald-of-emotion

moodboard
Mood board

Paper Prototype

human-model

Similar Works

  1. Digital Photo Locket Necklace – A locket displaying 5 photos of your choice to capture lifelong memories. Paired with a mobile app for iOS and android. (Tech Jewelry)
  2. ColorUp Magic Color Sensing Lamp – An interactive lamp that can mimic the color of any physical object or surface. (LED Lightbulb)

#1 Digital Locket Necklace. (n.d.). Retrieved January 17, 2021, from https://evermee.com/?utm_expid=.pIbRsfKlQSmc4uNN051iiQ.0&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

ColorUp Magic Color Sensing Lamp. (n.d.). Retrieved January 17, 2021, from https://www.unigear.net/product-page/colorup-magic-color-sensing-lamp

 

Assignment 1 – Speculative Wearable: Light up Headband

Concept

My wearable is a headband that lights up in different patterns according to the sounds around you. It will change to match the sounds around you and create fun patterns of light related to the sounds or music. The product will have three settings, sounds, music and off. These will correlate to the number of times the power button is pressed. The power button is set behind the left ear of the headband so it is out of sight and doesn’t affect the overall view of the headband.

When activated the headband will connect to the user’s phone via Bluetooth and using the microphone of the phone will sense the sounds around the person and adjust the lighting patterns accordingly. If the user clicks the button a second time then the headband will sync the lights to the pattern of the music either being played from the phone or around the user.

Objective

The objective behind the creation of this product is to create an accessory that can be fun to wear. It is to create a fun headband that will compliment one’s outfit while it is off as well as help make a statement when the user turns the product on.

Headbands and LED strips already exist so my object is a merge between both the headband and the colourful lights to create something fun to wear. A difference between the lights in the market is that my product can adjust the light-based off sounds that are not just from the music being played.

Drawings 

headband-sketch

Close-up sketch of the headband with the proposed materials for the product.

prototype-sketch
A sketch of the positioning of the headband as well as the light setting on the headband. It is also to show the different visual states of this headband.

prototype

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Material Mood Board

moodboard

Similar Works

Two works that I took inspiration from are the following:

  1. Sengled Smart Wi-Fi LED (Kozuch, 2021)
  2. Twinkly Line (Hager, 2021)

Kozuch, K. (2021, January 06). The best smart light bulbs in 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2021, from https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-smart-lights,review-6194.html

Hager, R. (2021, January 11). Twinkly smart light lineup offers fully addressable Lightstrip and Nanoleaf alternatives. Retrieved January 16, 2021, from https://www.androidpolice.com/2021/01/11/twinkly-smart-light-lineup-offers-fully-addressable-lightstrip-and-nanoleaf-alternatives/

Assignment 1 – Speculative Wearable: Hedy Fu

My wearable is supposed to be a unisex necklace that monitors your heart rate and flashes colours accordingly, to show bartenders, friends, and wearers themselves that the wearer can no longer drink. This is so that people avoid overdrinking and endangering themselves, as well as making symptoms more evident.

The material of the chain of the necklace will be metal(such as 18k gold/ silver/stainless steel to prevent allergies) and will have a silicone padding at where the node for the pulse detector is. The beads and what reflects the light installed within the necklace chains will be made from glass or plastic.

The necklace isn’t necessarily for all day use since it is meant to prevent overdrinking (although it can be  if the wearer wants to constantly measure their heartbeat). Therefore, like any jewellery, it can get tiring or uncomfortable after being worn for a long time .

It’s inactive state will be the same as when the person is in their usual heartbeat range and will be activated automatically, scaling off of the wearer’s heartbeats. The necklace at its most minimal form, is a singular chain but there are attachable chains of beads to make it into a statement piece. These beads are relatively small for a minimalistic and versatile look, and can be layered for those who wish to wear something more flamboyant. 

Two technologies that are similar and what I drew inspiration from are: 1) Blood pressure monitor (WebMD, 2019).

2) Signal Sending Chip(Reuters, 2018).

Ideation ExercisePaper Prototype

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References

Home Blood Pressure Monitors: How To Choose The Best One For You. (2019, June 21). Retrieved January 16, 2021, from https://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/how-pick-home-blood-pressure-monitor#1

Reuters. (2018, June 07). Signal sending chip wins prize for new technology to protect women. Retrieved January 16, 2021, from https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-5816499/Signal-sending-chip-wins-prize-new-technology-protect-women.html

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