http://e-sa.org/itp/wearables/ Wearables Studio en Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:53 -0400 http://e-sa.org/data/view?fn=20080417_1208455377.txt http://e-sa.org/data/view?fn=20080417_1208455377.txt Week 11, Progress



Please refer here for details on the mechanisms.

The first step of the week was a visit to Mood to find fabric for the
final version of the dress. Happily they had a wonderful off-white
organza which is fabulous. I have made a version of the dress using
this fabric based off the V3 pattern.

I will be using a Studio 5050 battery board, and so I was working on
assembling that last week. Too much flux on the board caused Zach to
spend several hours debugging it, but other than that assembly went
smoothly. The logic circuit of the h-bridge I am using requires 5V, and
board provides 3.7V. We will modify the booster to output 5V, and raise
the circuit protection to 500 mA.

The fabric is light, so I am worried about the mechanisms pulling and
generating unpleasant lines in the dress. I will make two or three
layers, the electronics on an inner layer. The mechanisms need to poke
through, so I will have to place the wires through the dress, and
connect them somehow - this issue of connections is something I need to
solve. Now I really need to put the parts on the fabric.

-- Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:53 -0400
]]> Wed, 09 Apr 2008 19:59 -0400 http://e-sa.org/data/view?fn=20080409_1207785031.txt http://e-sa.org/data/view?fn=20080409_1207785031.txt Week 10, Progress

Elevator Pitch

Any night out begins with a dance in the wardrobe to decide what
delectables to wear. Where are you going? Who will you be meeting?
How will you capture the attention of that Adonis across the gallery?
What if your clothes could help you start that awkward ice breaking
conversation - or better yet - instigate him to do so? The Butterfly
Dress is just that, a beautiful dress which catches attention, but also
serves as your personal ambassador, even while you are preoccupied.
Will he notice the fluttering of the butterflies as your throat catches
and heart races?

Clothes, which function as an insulating layer between their wearer and
the outside world, are in the perfect position to instigate
conversations beyond branding and style. The Butterfly Dress is aware
of her surroundings in two ways: first, the distance of people around
her using infrared sensors, and secondly, the heartbeat of her wearer.
Using this data she controls the flapping and vertical motion of golden
butterflies attached to her surface. The magic is in the movement, and
the flying butterflies will carry you both away.



From the laser cut butterflies I choose two additional species to work
with. They now flap as the original, although I am having issues with
spring placement on one. Next I fashioned a base out of perf board,
drilling a hole for the brass rod and attaching the motor with brass
wire. Out of wooden dowel I made a simple pulley to attach the
butterfly lines to. Worked beautifully - until the fishing line snapped
- I will need to try using music wire or something sturdier.



Work progresses well on the heart rate belt. I like the electrodes from
the Medical Supply Group, they adhere well and don't leave any residue
behind. I have yet to add power and the Lilypad to the belt, but I
plan on working that out this evening.



I am slowly putting together v2 of the butterfly enclosure. Parts fit
MUCH better this time around. New motors arrived from Solarbotics, the
gm12a (100:1) and gm18 (30:1). The wonderful thing about gear motors
with lower ratios is that they are quieter. I am hoping the quietest
still packs enough punch to spin the gears. We'll see when the
enclosure is complete.



For next week I will purchase the fabric for v4 of the dress and really
dig into putting the components on the dress. In the next week I need
to
- visit AMS to make more butterflies
- purchase parts for most robust butterflies
- order more h-bridges
- select a fabric from the dress and sew it
- connect build connect build

-- Wed, 09 Apr 2008 19:59 -0400
]]> Wed, 02 Apr 2008 23:41 -0400 http://e-sa.org/data/view?fn=20080402_1207186426.txt http://e-sa.org/data/view?fn=20080402_1207186426.txt Week 9, Progress



Version 3 of the dress is complete. This time I started with a
pattern, working with felt, and cut the curves into a look I liked. I
took a few of the larger butterflies and glued them on (with embroidery
glue) to grasp the dresses' atmosphere. I am quite fond of it, although
the felt must be replaced with a lighter fabric, perhaps organza. I do
not think the dress need be covered in butterflies, just enough to
elegantly accent it. Thankfully, it fit Amy beautifully for our
Thursday presentation.



I spent the rest of my time working with the heartbeat sensor. The
Polar G3CHR. I tried making my own electrodes with conductive fabric...
no luck unless they were wet or goo'ed up with lotion. Too bad.

What do I think the simulation of the Butterfly Dress will be like on
Thursday? Well, it shall be a cocktail party. Nothing like a little
music and champagne for a party!

-- Wed, 02 Apr 2008 23:41 -0400
]]> Wed, 26 Mar 2008 23:13 -0400 http://e-sa.org/data/view?fn=20080323_1206244972.txt http://e-sa.org/data/view?fn=20080323_1206244972.txt Week 8, Progress




Completed basic schematics for the dress circuitry.
I hope there aren't any missing parts.

I also finished a working version of the enclosure. For photos and
videos, please view this page.



I researched extensively into building my own heart rate monitoring
sensor. The fabric belt which polar supplies is not usable as it
needs to be wet, so I ordered some skin adhesives, and silver pads from
Medical Supply Group in order to try making a new input device.
For heart rate monitoring I need to build an op amp circuit, and it
should be properly protected. Here is an excellent paper on how to do
it and the issues involved. Building a simple monitoring mechanism
should be simple, and I still plan to try, but for now I will make a new
belt and use it with polar's board.

Next I will focus on building a board for the butterfly mechanism,
complete with microprocessor and dual h-bridges. I will serially control
these from the heart rate and switch mechanisms. I also need to build a
new version of the dress, which I am thinking I might cover with gold
butterflies. I am making a new target of three working butterfly
mechanisms, and have a better idea of how the dress will look. The end
goal, of course, is to have Taylor wear and present the dress.

A new version of the enclosure, which is half the size, has been
completed and submitted to AMS. I am building the next enclosure with
covers so hopefully the awful sound of the motor will be somewhat muted.
I also made the top and bottom layers thicker to make inserting the
shafts easier.



-- Wed, 26 Mar 2008 23:13 -0400
]]> Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:33 -0400 http://e-sa.org/data/view?fn=20080313_1205415203.txt http://e-sa.org/data/view?fn=20080313_1205415203.txt Week 7, Progress



Monday I purchased the gold metallic linen from B&J for the butterflies and
submitted it with the file to AMS for cutting. Remember to iron the fabric
first! The butterflies themselves I based on photos of various real
butterflies, so they have an asymmetrical, organic look. Kristin brought a few
baby butterflies from a test, and I think they look great.



The RP Binder arrived from VA Solutions so I cured the model. The binder is
hardcore stuff - don't get it on your skin or breath too much. After
application, the model went from being weak and powdery to fairly solid.
Brittle, but solid (I could sand it). I started assembling the model, but
there are a few size issues... like how I fit the gears in. I will continue to
work on this version while also starting to model a new, smaller version.

I tested the conductive thread with the IR sensor. Not going to work. There
is about 40 ohms of resistance in a yard, and that is enough to kill the
receptiveness of the sensor. It works - but only from 4-10 inches which is
unacceptable. In doing this I realized sensitive sensors and conductive thread
are a nontrivial issue. Rather than having everything controlled by a central
brain, I will redesign things so each butterfly unit is independent, and each
communicates to the heartbeat module.

Also, a reworked schedule:

- 3/13 ai for butterflies (done)
- 3/13 laser cut (done)
- 3/13 build mechanism (partway, 3/27)
- 3/13 try soldering to rod/movement mechanism (not done, 3/27)
- 3/13 test IR (done)
- 3/13 integrate on dress, first code (not done, 3/27)

- 3/27 model and submit small version
- 3/27 movement mechanism needs to be done
- 3/27 dress v3
- 3/27 draw circuitry in ai
- 3/27 order needed parts

- 4/03 heart rate mechanism incorporated
- 4/03 switch mechanism incorporated
- 4/03 movement sensor

- 4/10 finish dress
- 4/10 user testing

- 4/17 paper

- 4/24 presentation

-- Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:33 -0400
]]> Sat, 08 Mar 2008 16:36 -0500 http://e-sa.org/data/view?fn=20080308_1205012136.txt http://e-sa.org/data/view?fn=20080308_1205012136.txt Week 6, Progress



The flapping mechanism works by placing a spring in the back of the butterfly.
When two monofilament wires which run through the rod are pulled the spring
compresses generating the flapping motion. This is the first prototype. There
are several problems.

- keeping the spring attached to the butterfly
- keeping the spring perpendicular in relation to the rod
- the actual pulling motion

I will try soldering the rod to the spring, and attaching the motor in the next
week.



I tried preparing various butterflies. The gold fabric was absolutely
beautiful. Attaching heavy interface to the back of the butterflies worked
well to add volume. A little starch and ironing really helps to maintain
shape. To get the light, luxurious look I desire I need to laser cut the
butterflies. Monday I will purchase the fabric and take it to get laser cut at
AMS.



In class Amy and James were kind enough to try on my second dress. I tried
adding a silkly copper fabric in horizontal waves so I might hide the extension
mechanism behind them. I think it will work except attaching the IR mechanism
will require more forethought. I am attaching one of the IR sensors with a
Lilypad for testing. I used the buttonhole feature of the sewing machine to
outline a protective square around the sensor. By next week I'll know how well
the sensor is going to work with the resistance of the conductive thread.





Last but not least, I created and rapid prototyped the gear enclosure for the
extension mechanism. I made an appointment for Tuesday, and it was printed by
Thursday! Fast turnaround. Rhino for the Mac, despite not having rendering or
scripting supported yet, worked wonders. Alex from AMS brought it out in a
little yellow container... I had an excited giddy feeling like my child was
being brought out after birth. The sealing bond solution is arriving on
Tuesday, so by next Thursday I'll have tested it - and start working on a
smaller version. I already have new, smaller gears from SPD.

-- Sat, 08 Mar 2008 16:36 -0500
]]> Mon, 03 Mar 2008 09:55 -0500 http://e-sa.org/data/view?fn=20080303_1204556027.txt http://e-sa.org/data/view?fn=20080303_1204556027.txt Week 6, Presentation

This Thursday I'll be presenting on Butterfly dress.
You're welcome to download the presentation, but please don't if you'll be in class!

-- Mon, 03 Mar 2008 09:55 -0500
]]> Wed, 27 Feb 2008 23:17 -0500 http://e-sa.org/data/view?fn=20080227_1204169511.txt http://e-sa.org/data/view?fn=20080227_1204169511.txt


Where to start. I'll just go in chronological order. I am currently
working with the Polar G3CHR wireless heart rate monitor. I have
detailed my experience with the device here.

Am I happy with it for the dress? Not really. In order for it to work
the conductive fabric needed to be wet. Ick. Despina gave me some
super conductive fabric so I am going to try that with the G3CHR base
unit. If it works better I may just make my own heart rate module.
There is really no reason to use wireless since the whole system will be
contained anyway. Having a reusable (not terribly intrusive) heart rate
module would be really cool too.

Next up is IR. The Sharp sensors arrived and they are _great_.
Extremely easy to use, and they work at distances greater than the 80 cm
detailed in the manual. At 5V I see a variation in the signal at up to
about 1.2 meters.



I did a prototype for the motor mechanism out of cardboard. I had to
hold it with my hands for stability and it was horrible, but very
educational. Now I am ready to design and fabricate the enclosure case.
I will do the 3D modeling in Rhino and try to get it sent off by Friday,
or more likely early next week. Ah, what to watch out for:

- anchoring the shafts
- anchoring the motor
- anchoring the rod
- being precise

As the gears move against each other, particularly the bevel gears, the
shafts tend to move apart. The enclosing structure will have to keep
the shafts in position, but also not restrict rotation. The motor moves
so it has to be anchored well. The hub on the gears holds a 1/16"
aluminum rod beautifully. With a little electrical tape it could
accommodate smaller sizes. Regretfully the rod does not move up and
down in a straight line. It will need to be supported on either sides
with gears, but also the enclosure should have a hole on the top and
bottom to keep the rod moving in a straight line. This means the rod
length needs to be longer to extend through the holes.

Oh, the motor is loud... damn!



Finally, I finished v2 of the dress. I spent two weeks working with a
pattern from Simplicity. I find their patterns very difficult to
follow. The dress turned out so-so, looking more like, as Konst
delicately put: "a nightgown". I think black is the way to go. I will
use v2 as a prototype to put circuitry on and start working on dress v3.
I will size v3 for Taylor now that I have her measurements.

-- Wed, 27 Feb 2008 23:17 -0500
]]> Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:25 -0500 http://e-sa.org/data/view?fn=20080227_1204165174.txt http://e-sa.org/data/view?fn=20080227_1204165174.txt Week 5, Fabric PCB



Sounds sexy doesn't it? It was sexy to make too. There were five of us
working together: Armanda, Yuan-Ting, Kristin, Che-Wei and myself. Our
first task was to cut the conductive fabric Despina generously donated.
First we made a simple Illustrator file which had as many various shapes
as we could fit in - concentric circles, thin lines, thick lines,
squares, and so on. Next we laser cut the fabric making our working
base.

We all gathered Tuesday evening and decided to work on a piece each. We
all contributed resources and conversation while working away. The
conductive fabric had an iron on backing which made it extremely easy to
use. A few things I noticed for future reference:

- thin lines and concentric circles work well
- best to avoid ironing conductive fabric together, finicky
- IE: better to work out exactly the circuit you want and cut it
- cutting the fabric by hand isn't hard, okay for stuff not to be seen
- using flux to solder to conductive fabric _works_ but is not easy
- some fabrics are easier to solder than others



I love hearts. I made a switch, consisting of two sets of lips. When
they "kiss" the LED in the middle of the heart lights up.

-- Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:25 -0500
]]> Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:20 -0500 http://e-sa.org/data/view?fn=20080221_1203598800.txt http://e-sa.org/data/view?fn=20080221_1203598800.txt Week 4, Progress



As of yesterday I have all the gears and motors I need to build a proper
prototype. I found two good options: 298:1 mini metal gear motor
and a 25:1 6mm planetary gear pager motor, both from Solarbotics.
The 298:1 gear motor has awesome torque and spins slowly which should be
great for the extension mechanism. The only problem is that it is slightly
larger than I had hoped. I also have a micro servo in the mail for the
spring mechanism.

The gears and shafts I procured from Stock Drive Products.
I would like to note both SDP and Solarbotics were wonderfully efficient in
getting their products to NYC. The smallest gears I could find at a
reasonable price from SDP were about 1 cm in diameter - not bad, but
they have a huge hub. Okay for the prototype, but I might need to
manufacture my own gears.

I am borrowing the G3CHR, an OEM Polar wireless heart rate monitor.
I haven't had much luck with it yet, so I am going to ask DanO and Sonia
for advice. I am also working on a new dress in taffeta from a
pattern. Progress is slow, but promising.

Sunday I spent the day at Pratt's library doing research for my
presentation and eventual paper. I was particularly impressed by
The Psychology of Fashion and The Unfashionable Human Body. In
terms of schedule, I am mixing goals from this week and next - not
necessarily behind - but I have lots of building work to do.

Luella has a fun running in Vogue
Awesome writeup on how butterflies sense

-- Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:20 -0500
]]> Thu, 14 Feb 2008 08:41 -0500 http://e-sa.org/data/view?fn=20080212_1202849382.txt http://e-sa.org/data/view?fn=20080212_1202849382.txt Week 3, Parts list

I have more or less worked out the butterfly extension mechanism. It
will need to be held together somehow, and I don't know if the pager
motors I plan on using will offer enough power, but I will try building
one in the next week.



As to the butterfly flapping, I'm not sure of the mechanism, but I have
a basic idea. I will run fishline through the rod up to the spring
which is attached to the butterfly, and contracts to make it flap.
Pulling on the string will generate downward motion, which won't pull
properly on a horizontally placed spring. Another problem is keeping
the device static to the extension mechanism; flapping the butterfly
shouldn't cause the rod to jerk in and out. Again, I will try building
one by next week.



The flapping of the butterfly wings is correlated to the beat of the
dress wearer's heart. This relation is not simply beat - flap - beat
- flap, but instead uses an algorithm which attempts to emulate the
random fluttering of a stationary butterfly.

Finally, a parts list:

Dress
- Decorative fabric from B&J
- Liner from Canal Fabrics

Wiring
- Conductive thread from Bekaert

Butterfly Protrusion Device
- Rod: SI8469 or 1/16" aluminum pipe from metalliferous
- 4mm Namiki pager motor
- two wheels
- rubber lining
- enclosure/something for stability

Butterfly
- Fabric from B&J
- Paper from Blick's
- 9657K81 Compression Springs from McMaster
- Fishing line

Proximity Sensing
- Sharp GP2Y0A21YK

Heart Monitoring
- Wireless Polar device

Movement
- Strategically attached lilypad accelerometer

-- Thu, 14 Feb 2008 08:41 -0500
]]> Thu, 07 Feb 2008 09:19 -0500 http://e-sa.org/data/view?fn=20080207_1202390017.txt http://e-sa.org/data/view?fn=20080207_1202390017.txt Week 2, Prototype



Prototype

For the paper prototype I made a simple dress, size 0, from thin black fabric I
had laying around. To simulate the positioning of most of the parts I used
foam board, but for the motors I used four small solenoids. I thought it
prudent to attempt to grasp what it might be like to insert motors into the
dress. The short story: they are bulky, look uncomfortable and ruin the line
of the dress. Here are a few thoughts from making the paper prototype:



- the motor mechanism needs to be extremely thin, I am thinking of some kind of patch
- five butterflies seems like a reasonable number to start with and look good
- I don't think IR sensors will work well on the sides, arms will block them?
- having the batteries in back will be uncomfortable
- could the batteries and IR sensors be embedded in a belt?
- the heart rate recognition module placement may be an issue
- the dress cannot be too tight, the electronics will show
- poor positioning of the motors will result in bulging
- strapless is out, given the weight
- using folds, drapes, or something to keep high aesthetics while
retaining electronics seems ideal

Schedule

Here is a rough schedule, broken into major parts:

- 2/7 paper prototype, schedule
- 2/14 list of materials, part numbers, order heart and IR
- 2/21 butterfly construction v1
- 2/21 butterfly wing movement v1
- 2/21 butterfly extension mechanism v1
- 2/28 heart sensing prototype
- 2/28 IR sensing prototype
- 3/6 dress v2
- 3/13 butterfly
- 3/13 butterfly wing movement v2
- 3/13 butterfly extension mechanism v2
- 3/20 dress with parts
- 3/27 circuitry
- 3/27 programming
- 4/3 butterfly essay outline
- 4/10 butterfly essay

-- Thu, 07 Feb 2008 09:19 -0500
]]> Thu, 31 Jan 2008 10:04 -0500 http://e-sa.org/data/view?fn=20080131_1201809992.txt http://e-sa.org/data/view?fn=20080131_1201809992.txt Week 1, Project Conception

Project Concept

What is fashion? Why do we wear clothes?

Perhaps it is to be modest, to cover the body. Clothes cover, shelter,
shield, heat, and amuse. Our intentions are expressed through clothes;
lingerie, kevlar vests, or camouflage. As is social status, whether it
be the red stripe of Prada or bright orange denim of the penal system.
Fashion is a visual language, and an essential element of our social
fabric.

Technology has brought an unprecedented personalization of our physical
space, particularly in urban settings where headphone wearers or cell
phone talkers are most prominent. In some ways, our clothes and
accessories have turned into barriers, creating an anti-social bubble
for us to exist in. The social fabric around us is more closely woven
to people through a cell phone than those around us on the subway.

Clothes offer a way to break that barrier and connect to people
around us. Fashion which sparks conversation, or at least curiosity,
hurtles its wearer toward being a social conduit. A dress which
communicates her wearers heartbeat is extremely intimate and evokes an
empathetic response in observers. When wearer and observer interact, an
invisible boundary is created between the two which serves to facilitate
communication but also protect the self.

Butterfly is a dress to physically represent this invisible boundary
between people, and prompt social interaction. As people approach the
wearer, butterflies extend from the dress to surround her, and offer a
friendly greeting. The butterflies themselves are rhythmically
fluttering to the beat of the wearers heart, ready to caress.

Influences

Hussein Chalayan's work in his 2007 and 2008 lines was inspirational.
He showed a beautiful meshing between couture and technology. Most of
all in his use of motors.

Specs

The dress will be made out of comfortable white fabric. Inside the
electronics and motor system will be housed. The butterflies will extend
via a metal rod, how, I'm not sure (technical concern). The butterflies
will flutter by pulling a line which is put through this rod, attached
to another motor (technical concern). The rod and butterfly system is
connected to a microcontroller which controls its movements.

The heartbeat of the wearer is monitored (technical concern), and eight
IR sensors are used to track people moving around the wearer. An
accelerometer is present to tell when the wearer is moving. The
accelerometer and IR data is used to control the motion of the rods. A
switch is present for the wearer to easily turn the dress on and off.

- sensing
*heart rate
IR sensors (x8)
accelerometer

- moving parts
*motors for rods (would a pneumatic solution be possible?)
*rods
*motors for butterflies
*butterfly mechanism

- switch

- processing
lilypad (or custom?)

- battery
4 hours running time would be nice

* technical concerns

The dress as a whole needs to be wearable. This is the reason for a
switch easily accessible to the wearer, while she is wearing it. The
wearer must also be able to move freely and not risk destroying the
dress. While the butterflies can be somewhat delicate, the rod system
needs to be durable and unobtrusive. Placement of the rods and
material used will be extremely important. Weight and placement of the
batteries is also important.

References

Simmel, Georg. "Fashion." The American Journal of Sociology May 1957: 541-558.

A classic article on the origins and sociological aspects of fashion.
Fascinating historical perspective, excellent insights such as using
fashion as a vehicle to dispel nervousness.

Personal Space Suit, by Terence Arjo.

In 2006 Terence built a jacket whose spikes extend when people approach.
Sensing is done via IR. While conceptually our projects are very
different, he has a unique of approaching personal space.

-- Thu, 31 Jan 2008 10:04 -0500
]]>