Textile Interfaces: Textile Circuits & Love Bracelets

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Stitch circuit

 It was exciting and fun to see the power of conductive thread.





Push Button

I wanted 2 separate pieces of fabric that connect and help the led light on.

I used :
Conductive thread iron into the canvas hearts
Conductive Fabric
1 Led
1 3V CR2032 battery
Canvas fabric 2 pieces
Bright Red Wool felt


This exercise inspired the idea for my final project.






Analog Sensor

Sewing the push button was easy. The instructions were clear and I made sure the Velostat was in the right position to avoid the conductive fabrics to touch. 
I connected the sensor to my Arduino Nano and board, using the serial monitor I saw that the values changed every time I press the button.



Final Prototype · Love Bracelet

I created a prototype for a wearable item (bracelet) that would respond by lighting up an LED triggered by the interaction between 2 people. I thought a bracelet was a wearable item that was easy to put on.

Construction
For the bracelet I use a piece of canvas then sewed some velcro to close the bracelet. Velcro seemed like the right choice as I wanted the bracelet to be one size fits all.

The heart-shaped felt was sown to hide the stitches needs to add the LED, it also gave a contrast effect of the LED against the fabric. The heart shaped inclusion was to add a more comedic aspect to the Love interaction.

The batteries used to power each bracelet were sown in a similar manner to the style used on my stitch circuit. (A pocket made with thread) I added Tulle to add a more whimsical look, also I wanted to cover some the conductive thread.

For this prototype pressure it was activates the LED so for now, it's a single button that activate the light. For the photos and video I put my wrist against my model  and by creating pressure the LEDs were lighting up.

As a first prototype I am content with the the bracelet. A lot more ideas came in terms of what kind of interaction and experience I want the user to have.

1) what if instead of a single LED I used an LED strip.
2)what if were to collect data and use the LED as a signifier of potential romantic interest or just similar interests.

My ultimate goal for this prototype is for users to have fun and create a safe environment were people can interact with anyone. With each interaction I want people to giggle, have fun and perhaps meet a new friend.

**My sister was the bracelet model, I did not see her for a long time due to COVID. Doing this interaction/creative process with her was definitely a light-hearted activity.


 
 

Materials
Canvas
Velcro
Conductive thread iron into the canvas hearts
1 Led
1 3V CR2032 battery
Bright Red Wool felt



Inspiration: by Clutch - Fiona Carswell, Embrace Me - Studio 5050 and the Hi Five gloves Kate showed us in class









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