Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
On the hardware end of things, we're seeing ever smaller and less expensive sensors,
batteries, and wireless communication technologies. Wireless charging will be huge in
medical applications, and Bluetooth low-energy technology is already making it easy and
inexpensive to control your garment from your phone. Fashion companies will have to be-
come tech companies, and the future is looking weird, blinky, and awesome.
The dream of a video jacket, a gown dripping with pixels, and other garments-as-dis-
plays is getting closer. CuteCircuit's over-the-top galaxy dress impresses on a mannequin;
in the future, open source hardware will help us get closer to building our own versions at
home without the $20,000 price tag.
Summary
Thischapterhasaddressedthemostcommonelementsofsuccessfulopensourcewearables
projects. Building your own wearable electronics can be fun and rewarding, but teaching
others to do the same requires some special considerations outside the standard circuit dia-
gramandsourcecodedocumentation. You'reteachingtextile crafts,interaction design,and
fashion at the same time as electronics, after all! From teenage girls to quilting grandmas,
the wearables field has something for everyone.
Resources
For more information and to get involved, refer to the following sources:
Adafruit Learning System (
http://learn.adafruit.com/
): Adafruit's tutorial site hosts
dozens of step-by-step wearables tutorials and videos, including projects with the
FLORA and GEMMA microcontrollers as well as construction techniques for incorpor-
ating electronics into garments and accessories. Adafruit also publishes teardowns of
popular wearables products.
Wearable Electronics with Becky Stern weekly web show (
http://www.adafruit.com
/beckystern
)
: Each week Adafruit's director of wearable electronics discusses materials
and tools, and answers viewer questions about Adafruit's wearable endeavors.
Fashioning Tech (
http://www.fashioningtech.com/
)
Kobakant DIY (
http://www.kobakant.at/DIY/
)
: This source “aims to be a comprehens-
ible, accessible, and maintainable reference resource, as well as a basis for further ex-
ploration and contribution.” It offers oodles of textile tutorials and fun sensor ideas and
materials exploration.
SparkFun ElectriCute (
http://www.youtube.com/sparkfun
)
: SparkFun's textile specialist,
Dia Campbell, demonstrates projects with e-textile materials and techniques.
