The Ultimate Guide to Informed Wearable Technology

The Ultimate Guide to Informed Wearable Technology

by Christine Farion
Released October 2022
Publisher(s): Packt Publishing
ISBN: 9781803230597

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Book description

Master wearable technology with this book including colored images and over 50 activities using Arduino and ESP32, build useful, stylish, and smart wearable devices, and create interactive circuits that react to us and our environment

Key Features

  • Learn wearable technology and build electronic circuits with fun activities using Arduino systems
  • Get an in-depth understanding of e-textiles and ESP32 microcontrollers to create interactive wearables
  • Apply a design innovation approach and best practices to address real-world issues

Book Description

Wearable circuits add interaction and purpose to clothing and other wearable devices that are currently widely used in medical, social, safety, entertainment, and sports fields. To develop useful and impressive prototypes and wearables, you’ll need to be skilled in designing electronic circuits and working with wearable technologies.

This book takes you on an interesting journey through wearable technology, starting from electronic circuits, materials, and e-textile toolkits to using Arduino, which includes a variety of sensors, outputs, actuators, and microcontrollers such as Gemma M0 and ESP32. As you progress, you’ll be carefully guided through creating an advanced IoT project. You’ll learn by doing and create wearables with the help of practical examples and exercises. Later chapters will show you how to develop a hyper-body wearable and solder and sew circuits. Finally, you’ll discover how to build a culture-driven wearable to track data and provide feedback using a Design Innovation approach.

After reading this book, you’ll be able to design interactive prototypes and sew, solder, and program your own Arduino-based wearable devices with a purpose.

What you will learn

  • Construct sewable electronic circuits with conductive thread and materials
  • Discover the features of LilyPad, Gemma, Circuit Playground, and other boards
  • Use various components for listening, moving, sensing actions, and visualizing outputs
  • Control ESP32 development boards for IoT exploration
  • Understand why and how to prototype to create interactive wearables
  • Get skilled in sewing and soldering sensors to Arduino-based circuits
  • Design and build a hyper-body wearable that senses and reacts
  • Master a Design Innovation approach for creating wearables with a purpose

Who this book is for

This book is for electronics engineers, embedded system engineers and designers, and R&D engineers, who are beginners in the wearable technology domain as well as makers and hobbyists who have an interest in creative computing. It will also be useful for teachers, students, and researchers, who are learning interaction design, physical computing, technology, fashion, or arts. Having a basic understanding of Arduino-based systems will help in easily comprehending the contents of the book.

Table of contents

  1. The Ultimate Guide to Informed Wearable Technology
  2. Contributors
  3. About the author
  4. About the reviewers
  5. Preface
    1. Who this book is for
    2. What this book covers
    3. To get the most out of this book
    4. Download the example code files
    5. Download the color images
    6. Conventions used
    7. Get in touch
    8. Share Your Thoughts
    9. Download a free PDF copy of this book
  6. Part 1:Getting Started with Wearable Technology and Simple Circuits
  7. Chapter 1: Introduction to the World of Wearables
    1. Wearables definition
      1. When were wearables created?
      2. Informed wearables
      3. Other advances
      4. Current work in the field
    2. Electronic textiles
      1. Uses for electronic textiles
    3. Terminology, applications, and constraints
      1. Terminology
      2. Applications
      3. Constraints
    4. Exciting ideas, concepts, and projects to motivate
      1. Extension of the body
    5. What does the research tell us?
      1. Using research methods to acquire knowledge
    6. Cultural and ethical considerations
      1. Considerations when designing wearable technology
      2. Ethical considerations in research and testing
    7. Summary
    8. References
    9. Review questions
  8. Chapter 2: Understanding and Building Electronic Sewable Circuits
    1. Technical requirements
    2. Understanding electricity
      1. What is a circuit?
      2. Activity 2.1 – creating a simple circuit
    3. Using a multimeter
      1. Resistance
      2. Voltage
      3. Current – continuity/conductivity tests
    4. Electronic circuits
      1. Series
      2. Parallel
      3. What else can be in series or parallel?
      4. Activity 2.2 – using crocodile clips to create a circuit
      5. Activity 2.3 – creating a circuit using a breadboard
    5. Soft circuits
      1. LEDs
      2. Conductive threads
      3. Conductive fabrics
      4. Activity 2.4 – sewing with conductive thread and LEDs
      5. Activity 2.5 – sewing a creative circuit
    6. Switches and buttons
      1. Example switches and buttons
      2. Other ways to use switches and buttons
      3. Activity 2.6 – making your own switches
    7. Summary
    8. Review questions and exercises
  9. Chapter 3: Exploring e-textile Toolkits: LilyPad, Flora, Circuit Playground, and More
    1. Technical requirements
    2. LilyPad e-textiles
      1. Simple sewable
      2. Pre-programmed
      3. Programmable
      4. Activity 3.1 – twinkling circuits
    3. Understanding Flora, Gemma, and Circuit Playground
      1. Flora, Flora sensors, and snaps
      2. Gemma
      3. Circuit Playground boards
      4. Other systems
    4. Comparisons and observations
      1. Activity 3.2 – choosing your board
    5. Software setup and resources
      1. Installing the Arduino IDE
      2. Arduino essential steps
      3. Activity 3.3 – Hello Circuit Playground
    6. Troubleshooting
    7. Summary
    8. Review questions
  10. Chapter 4: Implementing Arduino Code Using Gemma M0 and Circuit Playground
    1. Technical requirements 
    2. Prototyping accelerometer and flex circuits
      1. Activity 4.1 – Hello_Accelerometer
      2. Activity 4.2 – Hello NeoPixels
    3. Understanding flex sensors
      1. Activity 4.3 – using a multimeter to read our flex sensor
    4. Research and innovation
      1. Activity 4.4 – making a flex sensor
      2. Activity 4.5 – connecting your circuit – an LED reaction to flexing
      3. Activity 4.6 – hooking up the Gemma M0 board with a flex sensor and servo motor
      4. Activity 4.7 – using Serial Monitor
    5. Troubleshooting
    6. The Arduino IDE
      1. Functions
      2. Variables
      3. Other
    7. Summary
    8. Further reading
    9. Review questions and exercises
  11. Part 2:Creating Sewable Circuits That Sense and React Using Arduino and ESP32
  12. Chapter 5: Working with Sensors: All About Inputs!
    1. Technical requirements 
    2. Sensors for listening
      1. Distance and movement
      2. Force, flex, and stretch
      3. Environmental sensors
      4. Communication and other inputs to try
      5. Other things to consider
      6. Activity 5.1 – Distance and movement
      7. Using an ultrasonic distance sensor
      8. Activity 5.2 – Using a tilt, shock, or knock sensor
      9. Activity 5.3 – Force, flex, and stretch
      10. Activity 5.4 – Environmental sensors
      11. Examples of sensors used in the field of wearables.
      12. Activity 5.5 – Choosing sensors
    3. Using libraries
      1. How do we use a library?
      2. Activity 5.6 – installing a library – UV sensor
    4. Understanding the I2C and SPI protocols 
      1. What is I2C?
    5. Using conductive materials as sensors
      1. Activity 5.7 – Sound and touch
      2. Activity 5.8 – Using alternative sensors
    6. Summary
    7. Review questions
  13. Chapter 6: Exploring Reactions Through Outputs
    1. Technical requirements 
    2. About action – outputs and responses
    3. Visual – light, color, and vision
      1. Display screens
      2. Activity 6.1 – learning about NeoPixels – a Hand HEX system
      3. Putting it all together
      4. Activity 6.2 – sewing EL wire
    4. Auditory – sound, tone, and audio
      1. Activity 6.3 – connecting and using sound
      2. Activity 6.4 – using the Circuit Playground’s onboard sound
      3. Activity 6.5 – Touch Together – a socially playable instrument
    5. Haptic – actuators, motion, motors, and vibration
      1. DC motors, vibration, and fan (axial)
      2. Servos – 180, 360, and continual rotation
      3. Linear actuators
      4. Overview
      5. Activity 6.6 – haptic feedback with a UV sensor
      6. Activity 6.7 – using temperature and motion
    6. Summary
    7. References
    8. Review questions
  14. Chapter 7: Moving Forward with Circuit Design Using ESP32
    1. Technical requirements 
    2. Understanding microcontroller boards
    3. Taking a closer look at the ESP32
      1. Activity 7.1 – Programming the ESP32, libraries, and tweaks for Arduino
      2. Activity 7.2 – Hello World, does it blink?
    4. Connecting to Wi-Fi
      1. Activity 7.3 – Let’s get connected
    5. Creating a map for far away friends and family: for mental health and wellbeing
      1. Activity 7.4 – Making your maps using symbols that work for you
      2. Activity 7.5 – Touch me! Building your touch pads
      3. Activity 7.6 – Adding an OLED for displaying information
    6. Using an Application Programming Interface (API) for live data
      1. Activity 7.7 – Connecting to an API
      2. Activity 7.8 – Connecting all the parts
      3. Examples of design and innovation for wellness purposes
    7. One last tip – a dynamic SSID and password
    8. Summary
    9. References and further reading
    10. Review questions
  15. Part 3:Learning to Prototype, Build, and Wear a Hyper-Body System
  16. Chapter 8: Learning How to Prototype and Make Electronics Wearable
    1. Technical requirements
    2. What do prototypes prototype? – the Houde and Hill model
      1. Activity 8.1 – quick and dirty
      2. Activity 8.2 – rapid prototyping with foamboard
      3. Activity 8.3 – rapid prototyping – adding components
    3. Breadboard to body – how to make wearables usable
    4. Comfort, usability, and style universe
      1. Activity 8.4 – how does a domain affect the wearable?
      2. Looking at implicit human computer context
    5. Materials and layout considerations
      1. Activity 8.5 – understanding fabrics
      2. Activity 8.6 – adding strength with interfacing
      3. Activity 8.7 – exploring ways to connect components
      4. Activity 8.6 – hunting for materials
    6. Summary
    7. References
    8. Review questions
  17. Chapter 9: Designing and Prototyping Your Own Hyper-Body System
    1. Technical requirements
    2. What is a hyper-body system?
    3. How to design your hyper-body system – choosing materials, components, and purpose
      1. Understanding the importance of planning
      2. Activity 9.1 – Project Planning Checklist
      3. Use it or do something else
    4. Building up your prototype – function by function
      1. Our project build – sending a mood
      2. About the QT Py ESP32-S2
      3. Activity 9.2 – Making a connection (NeoPixels to the QT Py)
      4. Activity 9.3 – Adding the warmth of a heating pad
    5. Connecting the QT Py to the internet
      1. Activity 9.4 – Getting connected to an IoT service
      2. Activity 9.5 – Coding our ESP32 to access the IoT connection
      3. What’s the code doing?
      4. Activity 9.6 – Putting it all together
    6. Troubleshooting
    7. Summary
    8. References
    9. Review questions
  18. Chapter 10: Soldering and Sewing to Complete Your Project
    1. Technical requirements
    2. Soldering
      1. Items used for soldering
      2. Activity 10.1 – Resistor practice
      3. Activity 10.2 – Soldering an LED, resistor, and wires
      4. Activity 10.3 – Other activities
      5. What to look for when you’re soldering
    3. Sewing
      1. Sample items used for sewing
    4. Putting your wearable together
      1. Activity 10.4 – Sewing a pocket for the heat pad
      2. Activity 10.5 – Soldering the QT Py ESP32-S2
      3. Activity 10.6 – Adding power
      4. Activity 10.7 – Sewing the Adafruit ESP32-S2 QT Py into your garment
    5. Summary
    6. Review questions
  19. Part 4:Getting the Taste of Designing Your Own Culture-Driven Wearable and Beyond
  20. Chapter 11: Innovating, with a Human-Centered Design Process
    1. Technical requirements
    2. Getting to know the problem
      1. Scoping
      2. Activity 11.1 – Let’s do desk research!
    3. Engagement – Stakeholder mapping and speaking with people
      1. Revisiting ethics
      2. Asking better questions
      3. Finding experts, stakeholders, and people
      4. Activity 11.2 – Stakeholder mapping
      5. Inclusive intention – Universal design and accessibility
      6. Engagement tools
      7. Activity 11.3 – Engagement tools
    4. Gaps – What’s in the field and context research
      1. Activity 11.4 – Requirements planning
    5. Human-centered design
      1. Co-design and participatory design
    6. Sense-making
    7. Prototype, test, iterate
    8. Summary
    9. References
    10. Review questions
  21. Chapter 12: Designing for Forgetfulness: A Case Study of Message Bag
    1. Technical requirements
    2. Following a Design Innovation process
      1. Gaps – what’s in the field and the context of research
      2. Requirements planning
      3. Engagement and insights
    3. Creating your prototype
      1. Activity 12.1 – Planning and first steps
      2. Activity 12.2 – Soldering headers on components
      3. Activity 12.3 – Breadboard the circuit
      4. Activity 12.4 – Checking the board and blink sketch
      5. Activity 12.5 – The code to test the RFID reader
      6. Activity 12.6 – The code for the NeoPixels and QT Py SAMD
      7. Activity 12.7 – Code for Message Bag’s RFID and NeoPixel functionality
      8. Activity 12.8 – Adding the NeoPixels and RFID code to scan tags
    4. Testing your prototype
    5. The future of Message Bag
    6. Summary
    7. References
    8. Review questions
  22. Chapter 13: Implementing the Best Solutions for Creating Your Own Wearable
    1. Technical requirements
    2. A template for design
      1. Activity 13.1 – Creating the road map for your wearable Project
    3. Upcycling your own Message Bag
      1. Activity 13.2 – Iterations on Message Bag for communication
      2. Activity 13.3 – Storing variables in non-volatile memory
      3. Activity 13.4 – Integrating your circuit
      4. Soldering the components for placement
    4. Upgrades for the ambitious using IoT
      1. Modifying the prototype with the QT Py ESP32-S2
      2. Activity 13.5 – Using EEPROM.h for memory access
      3. Activity 13.6 – Connecting with Wi-Fi to an IoT service
      4. Activity 13.7 – Iterations to the IoT connection
    5. Use it or do something else
      1. Activity 13.8 – The importance of using your wearable and observing what’s around you
    6. Summary
    7. References
    8. Review questions
  23. Chapter 14: Delving into Best Practices and the Future of Wearable Technology
    1. Technical requirements
    2. Best practices
      1. A few handy tips
    3. Additional techniques
    4. Taking your prototypes further
    5. Power considerations
    6. How to troubleshoot
      1. Issues with the QT Py ESP32-S2 board
      2. The Arduino IDE
      3. Documentation
    7. What’s in the future?
      1. Materials
      2. The body
      3. Environments
    8. Summary
    9. References
    10. Review questions
  24. Appendix: Answers and Additional Information
    1. Useful links
    2. Suppliers
      1. US-based suppliers
      2. UK- and Europe-based suppliers
    3. Answers to chapter questions
      1. Chapter 1
      2. Chapter 2
      3. Chapter 3
      4. Chapter 4
      5. Chapter 5
      6. Chapter 6
      7. Chapter 7
      8. Chapter 8
      9. Chapter 9
      10. Chapter 10
      11. Chapter 11
      12. Chapter 12
      13. Chapter 13
      14. Chapter 14
  25. Index
    1. Why subscribe?
  26. Other Books You May Enjoy
    1. Packt is searching for authors like you
    2. Share Your Thoughts
    3. Download a free PDF copy of this book

Product information

  • Title: The Ultimate Guide to Informed Wearable Technology
  • Author(s): Christine Farion
  • Release date: October 2022
  • Publisher(s): Packt Publishing
  • ISBN: 9781803230597