Openwear Wearable Prototype Toolkit by Leijing Zhou |
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| DESIGN DETAILS | |||||
| DESIGN NAME: Openwear PRIMARY FUNCTION: Wearable Prototype Toolkit INSPIRATION: Common wearable circuits often need to be fixed using sewing, which is very cumbersome. To solve this problem, we took inspiration from magnetic buttons. We have embedded magnets in the back of the PCB to fix it using magnetic force. UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Openwear is a toolkit for building rapid wearable prototypes. It includes a modified Lilypad USB development board, 11 newly designed modules, and quick connecting cables. This kit facilitates rapid prototyping by enabling quick attachment and connection and allows users to directly build and test prototypes on the intended substrate like clothes. OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: 1. Building the First Circuit Prototype: Select modules based on design requirements and assemble them on a flat surface for initial circuit testing and debugging. 2. Continuous Testing and Adjustment of the Circuit: Reconfigure module positions on the body for testing purposes. 3. Building the Final Circuit: Sew components directly onto fabric using conductive yarn or utilize sewing magnet fixing pads as an alternative method. This ensures flexibility and ease of removal. PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: The project started in August 2023 in Ningbo and finished in January 2024 FITS BEST INTO CATEGORY: Product Engineering and Technical Design |
PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: For the modules, we have designed 11 different modules with input or output chips contained on each module. Each module has six 3mm diameter pins. For quick fixing, we fixed a 10mm diameter magnet on the bottom of the development board and modules, which works with the magnetic fixing pads to attach to clothes. For quick connects, we used O-connectors and bolts, which work well with the 3mm pin sizes on the PCB. SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: Development board size is ϕ50*1mm, module size is ϕ25*1mm. TAGS: Hardware, Electronic, Toolkit, Wearable, E-textile RESEARCH ABSTRACT: The success of the LilyPad has resulted in the creation of various development boards, such as the more compact TinyLily and the Circuit Playground with many sensors. However, these variations only modify the dimensions or integrate sensors, without modifying the Lilypad's method for constructing wearable circuits. This method presents a challenge in prototyping wearable circuits: sewing processes are time-consuming and set a high threshold for beginners. Furthermore, the troubleshooting process in wearable circuit prototyping often requires resetting and resewing. Once the development board is integrated into the fabric, the complexity of the debugging code also increases proportionally. CHALLENGE: The biggest challenge in the whole research was to achieve a rapid fixing and connection of the PCB. We tried a variety of methods including pins, buttons, velcro, and finally we chose to use magnets with O-connectors, which had not been used before. ADDED DATE: 2024-02-25 16:13:53 TEAM MEMBERS (4) : Leijing Zhou, Xin An, Yiqing Zhang and Yang Mao IMAGE CREDITS: Leijing Zhou, 2023. |
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NAME: Zhejiang University PROFILE: Zhejiang University is a public university in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction. The university holds 7 faculties, 37 colleges, schools, and departments, offering 140 undergraduate and 300 graduate programs. The university also has seven affiliated hospitals, 1 museum, and 2 international joint institutes. The university is a member of the C9 League. |
| AWARD DETAILS | |
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Openwear Wearable Prototype Toolkit by Leijing Zhou is Winner in Product Engineering and Technical Design Category, 2023 - 2024.· Press Members: Login or Register to request an exclusive interview with Leijing Zhou. · Click here to register inorder to view the profile and other works by Leijing Zhou. |
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