Weaving Wearable Interfaces with WovenSkin
Cornell University Hybrid Body Lab presents a variety of electronic interaction methods with woven material attached to one's skin.
Humans have been weaving fabric for millennia, providing us warmth, shelter, and other necessities but this Cornell University Hybrid Body Lab project introduces a new way to use this ancient technology, called WovenSkin. This experimentation involves weaving electronics into fabric, which is then applied to a person’s skin as a novel interface method.
Techniques explored for this project include haptic feedback via SMA, or shape-memory alloy material, moving tiny indicators on the top of one’s hand up when a time limit is expired. Such woven electronics can be constructed with capacitive sensing to form a touch-sensitive surface that’s always with you. Finally, thermochromic material can be used for visual feedback, which changes color based on temperature changes induced by applied current. The video shows these last two techniques combined to display an “8” until it's touched, when a segment disappears to instead reveal a “9.”
WovenSkin circuity consists of an Arduino Mini, along with an MTCH6120 capacitive touch controller and a small LiPo battery for power. Bluetooth was also implemented for pairing with a phone or computer. These interfaces are attached to one’s skin using PVA, or polyvinyl alcohol, and were generally comfortable to wear. The woven pattern even presents the possibility of different decorations, potentially making the such a device more socially acceptable.