Openwear Kit Prototyping Wearable by Leijing Zhou is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2024 A' Design Award Basi in Rekayasa Competition Category.
BasiRekayasa· 2024
Openwear Kit Prototyping Wearable
by Leijing Zhou
Client: Zhejiang University
A' Design Award Basi Winner in Rekayasa Category
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- Verified Award Winner
- Verify Award Status for #159003
The Design
About Openwear Kit Prototyping Wearable
Openwear adolah sabuah toolkit untuak mambuek prototipe elektronik wearable sacaro capek. Toolkit ko mancakuik papan pangambangan Lilypad USB nan lah dimodifikasi, sabalas modul nan baru dirancang, sarato kabel panyambuang capek. Satiok modul mambaok chip input atau output, sarato anam pin nan badiameter 3 mm. Magnet badiameter 10 mm dipasang di baliak papan, sahinggo bagian-bagian tu malakek ka pakaian malalui bantalan magnetik, indak paralu dijaik lai. Konektor-O jo baut digunoan untuak manyambuangkan pin-pin tu. Prototipe bisa dibuek, diuji, sarato disusun baliak langsuang di ateh kain.
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award Basi
Openwear Kit Prototyping Wearable adolah pamenang A' Design Award Basi, sabuah pangakuan nan bapresti nan dibarikan ka rancangan nan elok nan mamanuhi kaparluan profesional jo industri nan dipaokan dari ciptaan nan dirancang jo elok. Pamenang Basi mamparlihatkan kamahiran nan gadang, spesialisasi nan tinggi, pamahaman pakar jo kapasitas kreatif panciptanyo. Openwear Kit Prototyping Wearable dipaokan manjadi ciptaan nan sangaik dihormati, dikagumi jo disayangi, nan praktis jo inovatif. Rancangan nan manang Basi iko mamasukkan praktik tabaik industri jo punyo ciri teknis nan cakap nan bapautan jo ilimu jo bakaik. Openwear Kit Prototyping Wearable dihormati karano katalitiannyo jo dirancang untuak maningkekkan kualitas hiduik jo mambantu manjadikan dunia tampek nan labiah elok.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- 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.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Development board size is ϕ50*1mm, module size is ϕ25*1mm.
- Tags
- Hardware, Electronic, Toolkit, Wearable, E-textile
- Production 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.
- Design 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.
- Research
- 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.
- 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.
- Project Duration
- The project started in August 2023 in Ningbo and finished in January 2024
- Operation Flow
- 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.
- Team Members
- Leijing Zhou
Xin An
Yiqing Zhang
Yang Mao
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