E-textiles and Wearable Technologies

Britt Gow, 2016Twitter: @brittgow

Email: brittgow@gmail.comhttp://stem.global2.vic.edu.au

eTextiles and Wearable Technologies

eTextiles are innovative textile materials that incorporate conductive fibres or digital elements into the design. It can involve the use conductive thread, fabric, tape and/or paint to connect computer components such as a micro-controller, LEDs, sensors and batteries. In this session, participants will make an electronic broach to showcase how sewing and digital electronics can bring students into the maker movement and explore new materials.

Examples of wearable technologies

Clothing and accessories with integrated circuits, such as….• FitBits, light-up shoes, GPS in AFL, smart

watches• Smart helmets that monitor heart-rate etc• Boxing gloves that track performance• Backpacks with inbuilt solar panels• LEDs and sensors on your fingernails

Apple Watch

FitBit

Google Glass

Heated electric jacket

Bike safety gloves

LED gloves

Light-up shoes

Illuminated clothing

LilyPad Arduino

LilyPad Arduino

How does it fit with the Victorian Curriculum?

• Year 5/6 Physical Science and Design and Technologies

• Year 7/8 Physical Science and Design and Technologies

Year 5/6 Science Understanding

Physical Sciences• Light from a source forms shadows and can be

absorbed, reflected and refracted (VCSSU080)• Energy from a variety of sources can be used

to generate electricity; electric circuits enable this energy to be transferred to another place and then to be transformed into another form of energy (VCSSU081)

Year 5/6 Design and Technologies

• Investigate how forces or electrical energy can control movement, sound or light in a designed product or system (VCDSTC034)

• Investigate characteristics and properties of a range of materials, systems, components, tools and equipment and evaluate the impact of their use (VCDSTC037)

• Creating Designed Solutions

Year 7/8 Physical Sciences

• Energy appears in different forms including movement (kinetic energy), heat, light, chemical energy and potential energy; devices can change energy from one form to another (VCSSU104)

Year 7/8 Design and Technology

• Technologies Contexts: Analyse how motion, force and energy are used to manipulate and control electromechanical systems when creating simple, engineered solutions (VCDSTC045)

• Materials and Technologies specialisations: Analyse ways to create designed solutions through selecting and combining characteristics and properties of materials, systems, components, tools and equipment (VCDSTC048)

• Creating Designed Solutions

Electronic brooch

Light-up mini-monsters

What you need:

• Felt and woolen fabric scraps• Sewing thread, needles and scissors• 3V button battery and battery holder • Conductive thread (SparkFun)• Light emitting diodes (Jaycar)• Embroidery thread, buttons and beads• Optional: Safety pins, press-studs, feathers,

fur, sequins, pipe-cleaners etc

Light-Emitting Diodes(LED’s) are available in a variety of sizes and colours. They have a longwire and short wire to distinguish between the positive and negative sides. They will only light up when attached to the power source the correct way.

Cut two copies ofyour pattern from felt – the battery and globe is attached to the back copy and the front piece is the decorative one.

Attach the conductive thread to the battery holder using a half hitch

Attach the battery holder to the back felt and sew from the battery holder to the LED and then from the LED back to the other side of the battery holder, to form a complete circuit – do not cross the threads!

Decorate the front felt with embroidery and/orbeadwork, making sure you leave a flap unstitched to replace the battery. You may like to cut a small hole in the felt to allow the LED to shine through.

Contact me:

• Email: brittgow@gmail.com• Twitter: @brittgow• Blog: http://stem.global2.vic.edu.au• School: Hawkesdale P12 College• Phone: (03) 5560 7225