Fèrre Engenhariá · 2024
Openwear Kit de Prototipatge Portable
by Leijing Zhou
- A' Design Award de Fèrre 2024 in Engenhariá
- CLIENT: Zhejiang University
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 53,077
- Verification code 7B004D940D · Verify this award
Colors
About Openwear Kit de Prototipatge Portable
Openwear es un kit d'aisinas per construire rapidament de prototipes electronics portables. Lo kit inclutz una plaqueta de desvolopament USB Lilypad modificada, onze moduls novèlament concebuts e de cables de connexion rapida. Cada modul pòrta una puça d'entrada o de sortida e sièis broquetas de 3 mm de diamètre. D'aimants de 10 mm de diamètre son fixats a l'endarrièr de las plaquetas, de sòrta que las pèças s'apiegan sus los vestits per de padèls magnetics puslèu que per costura. De connectors en O e de perns junhon las broquetas. Los prototipes pòdon èsser construits, testats e reorganizats dirèctament sus teissut.
About the A' Design Award de Fèrre
Openwear Kit de Prototipatge Portable a ganhat la distincion A' Design Award de Fèrre, una reconeissença prestigiosa acordada a de bons designs que respondon a las exigéncias professionalas e industrialas esperadas de creacions plan concebudas. Los ganhaires del Fèrre demòstran una granda abilitat, una nauta especializacion, una comprenedura d'expèrt e la capacitat creativa de lors creators. S'espèra que Openwear Kit de Prototipatge Portable siá una creacion fòrça considerada, admirada e estimada, practica e innovanta. Aqueste design ganhaire de la distincion A' Design Award de Fèrre integra las melhoras practicas del sector e a de caracteristicas tecnicas competentas ligadas a un saber-far e a un talent. Per son rigor, Openwear Kit de Prototipatge Portable merita lo respècte e es destinat a aportar de melhoraments a la qualitat de la vida que ajudan a far del mond un luòc melhor.
Press Kit
- 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.
