Arduino Wearables free ebook download
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Contents at a Glance
About the Author................................................................................................... Acknowledgments ..............................................................................................
Chapter 1: Introduction...........................................................................................
Chapter 2: Software ..............................................................................................
Chapter 3: Hardware.............................................................................................
Chapter 4: Smart Materials and Tools ..................................................................
Chapter 5: LED Bracelets ......................................................................................
Chapter 6: Solar-Powered Glow-in-the-Dark Bag.................................................
Chapter 7: Piano Tie............................................................................................
Chapter 8: Bag Alarm .........................................................................................
Chapter 9: Beatbox Hoodie .................................................................................
Chapter 10: Sunshine Umbrella ..........................................................................
Chapter 11: Beat Dress .......................................................................................
Chapter 12: Shape Memory Flower ....................................................................
Chapter 13: EL Wire Dress ..................................................................................
Chapter 14: Making Things Tiny ......................................................................... Index ................................................................................................................... iv
C H A P T E R 1
Introduction
Atayoungage,IlivedveryclosetomygrandmothersandIusedtovisitthemoften.Bothofmy grandmotherswereveryskilledintextilehandcraftsand,alongwithmymother,werefirmbelieversthat sewingisoneofthosebasicskillsthateveryoneshouldknow.Onegrandmotherwasamazingat crochetingandneedlepoint,andtheotheronewasveryskilledinweavingandlovedquilting.I’vebeen veryinterestedineverythingpracticalandartisticsinceIwasyoung,andmygrandmotherswerepatient enoughtoteachmetheirskills.
IwouldneverhavethoughtthatthesefadedskillswouldcomeinhandyyearslaterasIbecame moreinterestedinotherartisticareas.ItwasnotlongafterIfirstsawanArduinoboardthatIrealized thattherewassuchathingascombiningelectronicsandtextiles.Notlongafterward,Igotthechanceto teachothersaboutthisamazingpieceoftechnologyinacoursethatfocusedonfashionandtechnology.
TheproductofallmytimespentworkingwithandteachingwiththeArduinoiswhatyounowhold inyourhands.Thisbookisapracticalintroductiontothewonderfulworldofwearables;itmixestheory withahands-onapproach.
Sinceyoumadeitasfaraspickingupthisbook,youarealreadyhalfwaythere.Thebiggest challengeyoufacestartingoutwithelectronicsandprogrammingisthefearthatthesethingsarehardto learn.Ifyoustillhaveyourdoubts,dispelthem.Evenifpartofthelearningprocessistricky,Ican’tthink ofamorefunwaytolearnelectronicsandprogrammingthanthroughmakingyourownwearable project.
Ratherthanjustexplainingeachstepoftheconstructionprocess,theprojectsinthisbookincludea lotoftheorybehindhowtheyactuallywork—sothatyoucanbuildadeeperunderstandingofwearables. Thegoalistobuildyourskillsandinspireyoutodevelopupontheprojectsinthisbooktocreatenew projectsbeyondit.Maybeinthefutureyouwillshowmehowitisdone.
Wearables
Fashionandtechnology,wearablecomputing,technofashion,embeddedtechnology,e-textiles, wearabletech,orjustplain“wearables.”Thelistofnamesislong,buttheyallsharethesameprincipleof combiningtechnologywithtextiles.Thisbookservesasapracticalintroductiononhowyoucanstart experimentingwithintheseareas.
Asallofthenamessuggest,thisbookisaboutmakingtechnologywearable.Theideamightsound newtosome,butpeoplehavebeenwearingtechnologyforcenturiesifyouthinkaboutit.Eyeglassesare technologywornonyourfacetoenhancesight;thefirstpairweremadeinItalyintheeleventhcentury. Watchesaredevicesthatareconstructedtocalculatetime;wehavebeenwearingthemsincethe sixteenthcentury,buttheideaforpocketwatcheshasbeenrecordedmuchearlier.
Today,techisallaroundus.Wecarrycomputersinbagscustom-madetofitthem.Wewearthe technologytooperateMP3playersonourheadsasafashionstatement.Ican’trememberthelasttimeI metsomeonewithoutamobilephone.Andphonesarenotjustphonesanymore;theyarea combinationoftechnologies—computers,phones,cameras,andGPStechnology—thatfitinour pockets.Portablecomputersareallaroundus. Itwasnotuntil1961thatwestartedtotalkaboutwearablecomputers.EdwardThorpandClaude
Shannondevelopedwhatisconsideredtobethefirstwearablecomputer.Shannonisprobablymore knownforhiscontributionstoinformationtheoryandThorpastheinventorofcardcountingin blackjack.ItwasThorp’sareaofinterestthatinspiredthemtocreatethefirstwearablecomputer.Thorp andShannonweremathematiciansthatdevelopedasystemforcalculatingthespeedofarouletteballto predictwhereitwouldstop.Theirsystemincludedashoewithhiddenmicroswitchesusedtocalculate speed,andthisinformationwassenttoasmallcomputerthattransferreditintoamusicalsignalsent overradiotoaminiaturespeakerhiddeninacollaborator’sear.
ThorpandShannon’ssystemwasnotrevealeduntil1966inoneofThorp’sbooks,inwhichhe admittedthatthesystemwastestedinLasVegas.Healsosaidthatthesystemneverworkedbeyondone trialrunduetoproblemswiththemicrophone,butpopulartheoriesandspeculationsindicate otherwise,duetothefactthatittookthemenfiveyearstorevealtheproject.
ThorpandShannonmayhavecreatedthefirstwearablecomputer,buttodaywearablecomputing issynonymouswithonemaninparticular:SteveMann.In1981,Mannbegantodevelopawearable computer;hehasbeenwearingitsince.ThestoryIhavebeentoldisthatitallstartedonedaywhen Mannwasoutwalking.Asaphotographer,heoftenfoundthatwhenhesawagoodmomenttotakea photo,themomenthadpassedbythetimehehadhiscameraready.Sohisfirstwearablecomputerwas abackpack-mountedsystemthatconstantlyrecordedeverythinghecouldsee.
Sincethen,Mannhascontinueddevelopinghissystemandtodayhisentirecomputerfitsintoapair ofsunglasseswiththefullfunctionalityofanormalcomputer. Althoughalotofwearablecomputersarebasedonthenotionofextendingthefunctionsofthe humanbody,technologyhasalwaysbeenasubjectforfashion.Evenintheearlystagesofthe developmentofeyeglassesandpocketwatches,theseobjectsbecamesubjectforpersonalexpression andforprojectingstatus.
Mann’swearablesystemalsobecameavictimoffashion.Whilelivinghislifewearinghiscomputer, heoftenfeltalienatedduetothefactthathisphysicalpresenceconfusedpeople.Hefeltlimitedbythis. Hissystemwasmeanttoenhancehislife,buttobeconstantlytreateddifferentlybecauseofthewayhe lookedinterferedwithhiscreativevision.Sohebegantodevelophissysteminamoreseamlesswayby tryingtohidemuchofthetechnologyandmakehissystemlookmorelikeanobjectapersonwould normallywear.Youmightsaythathewasforcedtobecomefashionable.
Yetitisnotuntilthepasttenyearsthattechnologyhasrooteditselfwithinthefieldoffashion.Likely thebestknownreasonforthisisHusseinChalayan’s2007spring/summercollection,whichpresented anhistoricalinterpretationofengineeringwithdressesthatseamlesslycombinedtechnologyand textilesinawaythatmadethemlookmagical.Thedressesbended,twisted,andmovedallby themselves,whichgavetheillusionthatthegarmentshadalifeoftheirown.Thereweresimilar creationspriortoChalayan’sshow,butnonereallyillustratedtheendlesspossibilityofcombining computers,electronics,andtextiles.
In2005,somethinghappenedthatIthinkhadadirectimpactontherecentincreaseininterestin wearablecomputing.Thatthingalsohappenstobethebasisforthisbook.
World,SayHellotoArduino
In2005,DavidCuartiellesmetMassimoBanziintheItaliancityofIvrea.Banziwasteachingelectronics touniversitystudents,andCuartielles,auniversityelectronicsteacherinSweden,wasinItalytoworkon aproject.Bothmenfeltthatelectronicsshouldnotbelimitedtoengineersbutshouldalsobeusedasa materialfordesignstudents.Atthetime,however,theyhadamajorproblem:thetoolsavailablefor workingwithelectronicswerenotaimedatstudentswithnopriorknowledgeofelectronics—andthey wereveryexpensive.Mostuniversitiescouldnotbuytoolsforeachstudent;theyneededtobeshared amongthestudents.Andmostuniversitieswouldnotconsiderinvestinginsuchtoolsoutsidethe engineeringdepartments.
CuartiellesandBanzibothbelievedthatstudentsneedfullaccesstothetoolstheyaresupposedto useandit’stheuniversity'sresponsibilitytoprovidethestudentswiththetools.Thetwomencouldn’t solvethemoneyproblem,sotheybegandevelopingatoolthatstudentscouldbuybyontheirownand waseasyenoughtobeusedwithoutpriorknowledgeofelectronics.TomIgoe,aNewYorkCity–based teacher,andDavidMellis,hisformerstudent,joinedtheproject.Later,GianlucaMartinojoinedthe projectasamainproducer.Todaythesefiveareknownas“theArduinoteam”andwhattheycreated wastheArduinoboardandsoftware.AnearlyArduinoboardisshowninFigure1-1.
Figure1-1.EarlyversionoftheArduinoserialboard
Arduinoisamicroprocessorboardthatletsyouconnectthephysicalworldtotheworldof computers.TheideabehindtheArduinoboardwasnotuniqueinanyway.Onthecontrary,therewere otherverysimilarboardsavailableatthetime;butwhatmadeArduinouniquewastheArduinoteam’s approachtotheproject.Thefirstboardwasreleasedunderanopen-sourcelicensingmodel,whichwas veryuncommonforhardwareatthetime.
Open-sourcelicensingmeansthatthedesignoftheboardwasavailableforanyonetocopy, reproduce,andmodifyinanyway.Mosttechnologycompaniesmaketheirmoneydevelopinghardware; theydon’ttellanyonehowtheymaketheirproductsandtheytakeoutpatentstopreventothersfrom copying.
ButmakingalotofmoneywasneverthegoalwithArduino;theteamwantedtocreateatoolthat propagateslearning.Thisalsoopeneddevelopmentforotherstomakeimprovementsandcontributions totheproject,whichinturnmeantthattheycouldcutdevelopmentcosts—whichinanotherturnkept thepriceoftheArduinolow.
Anotherreasonfortheirsuccessistheir“punkrockapproach”tolearning.Ifyouknowthreebasic chords,it’senoughtowriteasong,andonesongisenoughtomakeaband.Thereisnoreasontowait beforegettingstarted.TheArduinoteamtookthesameapproachtoelectronics.Youdon’tneedtobean engineerorknowmath,physics,orawholelotaboutcomputerstogetstartedworkingwithelectronics andmicrocontrollers.Infact,youdon’treallyneedtoknowanythingtostartbuildingstuff.Youlearnby doingit.
AfewyearsafterthefirstversionoftheArduinoboardwascreated,LeahBuechley,aprofessorat MIT,hadanideaforanewdesignoftheboard.Therehadbeenredesignsofthestandardboard,but Buechley’sdesignwasaimedatbeingsewnintofabricsandbecameknownastheLilyPad.In2012, LimorFried,anelectronicsdesigner,cameoutwithanothersewable,anArduinosoftware–compatible boardcalledtheFlora.
SharingisCaring
Alargeportionoftheopen-sourcecommunityisdedicatedtothesharingofknowledgeand,asOttovon Buschhaspointedoutinhisresearch,fashionandopensourcesharealotofthesameideas.Buschisa fashiontheoristanddesigner.Hehasdevotedpartofhisworktoexplaininghackingthroughthe creationofnewgarmentsfromoldones.
Hackingisoftenwrongfullyconsideredtobeillegalactivitiesperformedoncomputers,inwhicha personbreaksintoasystemandstealsinformation.Thetruthis,mosthackersdonotdoanythingillegal. Hackingismorethelearningmethodwhereyoutakeexistingtechnologyandmodifyitindifferentways justforthefunoflearninghowitworks.Fashionworksinasimilarsense:youborrowinspirationfrom othercreations.Inthesamesensethatyoumightborrowapatternfromafriendforadressandmodify thatpatterntofityourmeasurements,theopen-sourcecommunitysharescodeandhardwaredesigns, whichtheythenmodifytofittheirneeds.
ThisisalsoaphilosophysharedwithintheArduinocommunity.Specialacknowledgmentgoesout tothiscommunity;withouttheirsharedknowledge,Iwouldhavenevergainedtheknowledgethat becamethisbook.Iurgeallreadersofthisbooktosharetheirknowledge.Sharingiscaringaboutwhat youdo,andbysharingyourinsights,youlearnevenmore.
Agoodstartingpointforsharingyourideasorfindinginspirationfromothers’ideasistheArduino Playground( websites.TheArduinoPlaygroundfeatureseverythingArduino-relatedandhasastrongandactive communityofusers.FashioningTechnologyisablogwithupdatesonwearables-relatedprojects;italso featurestutorialsandauserforum.Twoforumsthatarenotstrictlyfocusedonwearablesbutaregreat resourcesingeneralaretheInstructables(websiteandtheMAKEblog (blog.makezine.com).BothsitesaredevotedtoanythingrelatedtoDIY. TalkingtheTalk
Theprogressionofthefieldofwearablecomputinghasforcedtheneedforspecialterminology.Ifyou arenewtothefield,thissectionoffersquickdefinitionsofsomeoftheterminologyyoumightcome acrosswhileworkingwithwearables.
Wearables Wearablesisacollectivenamethathastodowithanythingcombiningfashionandtechnology.Itusually
referstotechnology-enhancedgarmentsorapieceoftechnologythatcanbewornonthebody. Wearablescomesfromtheterm“wearablecomputing.”Itdoesnotneedtoincludeacomputerorother computationaldevice.Evengarmentswithaminimalnumberofelectronicsareconsideredwearables. It’satermmadepopularbymediatodescribeboththefieldofwearablecomputingandfashionand technology.
WearableComputing Wearablecomputingreferstoasmallcomputerthatcanbeeitherwornonthebody—insideorplaced
ontoclothing.ThorpandShannonarestillconsideredtobethepredecessorstothefieldofwearable computing,butthefielditselfwasmostlydefinedbytheworkofSteveMann.Wearablecomputing investigatestheintersectionbetweentheuserandthecomputer,whereinteractionisbasedonno conventionalinteractiondevices.Mann’swearablesystems,forexample,donotincludeascreen; instead,imagesareprojectedstraightontohiseye.Othercommoninteractionswithwearable computersarevoicecommandsandmovementgestures.AccordingtoMann’sdefinitionofawearable system,otherkeyfeaturesarethattheyareneverturnedoffandhavetheabilitytomultitask.
Everydayuseofthetermisnotstrict,andincludesareasofresearchinhealthcare,mobilephones, servicemanagement,electronictextiles,andfashion,amongothers. Mostoftheprogressioninthefieldismadewithinthecontextofmilitaryuse,wheretheUSArmy hasleadtheprogresswiththeirLandWarriorandFutureForceWarriorsystems. Sinceitsstart,keyissuesforwearablecomputinghavebeenwirelesscommunicationandenergy sources.Powerisalwaysaproblemwhenitcomestoobjectsdesignedtomovearound;itisevena biggerproblemwhenitcomestoembeddingpowersourcesintomaterialslikefabrics.
Inflatables Inflatablesareasubcategorywithinthefieldoffashionandtechnology.Thetermisusedinrelationto
garmentsthatfullyorpartiallyinflate.Airpumpsarethemostcommontechnologyused,butthereare projectsthathaveexperimentedwiththegasinflationofgarments.Commonissueswithinflatables regardthebulkinessofthetechnologyandthenoise.Asinmanyothercases,powerisoftenanissue sinceairpumpsandothertechnologiesrequirealotofpowertooperate.Greatexamplesofinflatables includethe“spacedress”bydesignerTeresaAlmeida;YaelMer’s“evacuation”dress;andthe“inflatable dress”byDianaEngandEmilyAlbinski.
Moveables
Asthetermsuggests,garmentsinthemoveablescategorymoveinonewayoranother.Common technologiesusedtogeneratemovementaremotorsandvibrators.Projectsthataremorecomplexuse whatisknownas“smartwires”or“musclewires.”Thesemetalwireshavefunctionalitythatallowsthem torememberpositionsordecreaseinsizewhenelectricityisappliedtothem.HusseinChalayanisa designerthathasexperimentedwithmovablesinseveralofhiscollections.
Haptics
Hapticsrefersmoretothecommunicationbetweenthewearerofagarmentandtheactualgarment.
Smallvibratorsaretypicallyusedforindicatingtypesofinformationindifferentlocationsofthebody. Thereisalotofresearchusinghapticsinrelationtohealthcare;particularly,hapticsareusedasa substituteforothersenses.The“tacit”isagoodexampleofahapticdevice.CreatedbySteveHoefer,it’s awrist-mounteddigitalwalkingcaneforthevisuallyimpairedthatsensesdistanceandfeedsbackthis informationtotheuserviavibrators.Somedesignerstakeanartisticapproachtohaptics,like NorwegianartistStahlStensliewithhis“sensememory”and“psychoplastic”projects.
EmbeddedTechnology
Incontrasttopersonalcomputersthatdomanythings,embeddedtechnologyisacomplete,specific devicethatcombinessoftware,hardware,andmechanicalparts.Normallyyouusethetermtodescribe technologyobjectslikeMP3playersoreventrafficlights.Mostwearablesbecomeembedded technologiesbydefaultsinceeverythingisincludedinthewearableobjectitself.Somewearableshave wirelesscommunicationwithanotherobject,andthedefinitionbecomesblurred.
E-textile
E-textilesorelectronictextilesarealsoknownassmarttextiles.Thesetextileshavenothingtodowith
intelligence,but“smart”referstothefactthatthesematerialshavemorethanonestatethattheycan switchbetween.Incombinationwithotherelectroniccomponents,usuallymicroprocessors,they becomee-textiles.E-textilescombineordinarygarmentswithtechnologytoextendfunctionalityor simplyforestheticpurposes.Thedifferencebetweene-textilesandwearablecomputingisthate-textiles focusmoreontheseamlessintegrationofelectronicsintotextiles.Thetermisusedtodescribe technologicallyenhancedfabricsthatcanbewornandwashedlikeanyotherfabric.
ConductiveMaterials
Alotofmaterialsareconductive;butwhenitcomestowearables,therearetwotypesofmaterialsyou hearmentionedmostoften:conductivefabricandconductivethread.Theyarebothalternativesto usingwiresandhavethecapacitytotransferelectricity.Otherconductivematerialsincludeconductive paintssuitableforpaintingonyourbody.
Hacking
Therearemanydefinitionsoftheword,whichisusedtodescribeasubcultureofpeopleinterestedin computersandelectronics.Themostcommonuseofitdescribessomeonebreakingintoacomputer system,butthemoreproperuseofthetermwouldbetodescribepeoplewholearnbyinspectingand modifyingexistingtechnology.OttovonBuschexplainsthetermusingsewinganalogies;modifyingan oldT-shirtintoadressis,inasense,hacking.
Prototyping
Peoplecomingintothefieldofwearablesfromafashionperspectiveareprobablyfamiliarwiththe conceptbutnottheterm.Prototypingreferstothepracticeofphysicallyvisualizinganidea.It’snot aboutdesigningafinishedproduct,butmakinganideaforaphysicalobject.Inasense,fashionrunway showsareanexhibitionofprototypes.Thefashionsarenotdesignedasfinishedproductsavailablefor storepurchase,butmoreasanexpressionofanidea.Theideaissimilartohowsewersmakemuslins (toiles)tocheckthatapatternfitsbeforemakinganinvestmentinexpensivefabrics.Electronic prototypingissimilarinthatyoumakesomethingtoseeifitworks,andthenyouimproveuponit.Not allprototypesareelectronic.Theycanbemadefromanymaterial;evendrawingsareconsideredearly prototypes.
TechnoFashion Technofashionisatermusedtodescribeasubcategorywithinfashionthatdoesn’tnecessarilyinclude
anytechnologyatall.Alotoftechnofashiondoesincludetechnology,butinessence,it’smoreabout findinginspirationintechnology.Forexample,agarmentcouldusetheconceptofcomplex functionalityintechnologyandtransferthatintofashion.AgoodexampleofthisisMandarinaDuck’s “jackpack,”abackpackthatunfoldsintoajacket.Bybeingtransformableinconstruction,suchgarments offerthepossibilityofbeingmorethanoneobject.
Sometechnofashionusestechnologymoreforitsaddedestheticvalue,likeAnoukWipprecht’s “pseudomorphs”self-paintingdress.
Technofashionisalsosimplyreferredtoas“fashionandtech.”
Interactivity
Theterminteractivityisusedinalotoffieldsindifferentways,butwhenitcomestoelectronicsand computers,itoftenreferstosoftwareorhardwarethatacceptsandrespondstoinputs.Or,ifyoulike, technologythatdoessomethingwhenyoudosomethingtoit.Someoftheprojectsinthisbookare interactiveandsomearenot.Somehaveveryminimalinteraction,likesimplypushingabutton.Some oftheprojectsarenotinteractiveinthesensethattheystillhavefunctionality,buttheywilldothings independentoftheuser.Awearablethatreactstoitsenvironmentmayalsobeconsideredinteractive.
DIY
DIYisshortfordo-it-yourself.Itisevenconsideredasubculture.Itsimplyreferstotheactofcreating somethingbyyourself.Itisalsousedasateachingmethodologythatpromotestheideathatknowledge comesfrompracticalexperience.DIYalsopromotestheideathatanyonecandoanything.Thereare thousandsofDIYbooksonanysubject,evenascomplexasbuildingyourownmobilephone.Rightnow youareholdingaDIYguidebook.Ifyoureadit,Ithinkweagreethatyoucandotheseprojectsyourself.
HighandLowTech
Normallyhightechreferstocomplextechnologiesandlowtechreferstosimplertechnologiesor nondigitaltechnology.Insomecasesthetermsareusedtodescribeprototypes;mostprojectsinthis bookcouldbeconsideredprototypes.Theyarenotfinishedproducts,butratherexamplesofhow productslook.Youmightalsosaythattheprojectsareamixbetweenhighandlowtech.Usually materialslikepaperandcardboardareusedtomakelow-techprototypes,andmaterialslikewoodor fabricstogetherwithelectronicsareconsideredhightech.Forsomeonethatisnotfamiliarwith wearablecomputing,mostprojectsinthisbookmightseemhigh–tech,butIwouldnotgoasfarasto callthemthis.
CriticalDesign
Alotofwearablesfallunderthecategoryofcriticaldesign.Criticaldesignisadesigntheorymade popularbyAnthonyDunneandFionaRaby.It’sbasedontheideaofusingdesignedobjectsascritique orcommentarythatcausesreflection.Itishardtoavoidthiswhencreatingwearables,evenifthisisnot yourintention.Whenyoudecidetoaddelectronicsintoacontextthatyouusuallydon’tfindthemraises thequestion“why?”
Thesolar-powerglow-in-the-darkbagprojectinthisbook,forexample,wasinspiredbyanother projectthatIworkedonwiththe1scale1designstudioincollaborationwithartistAliciaFramisandthe SpanishfashionhousePurificaciónGarcía.Theproject,knownas“ThinkingofDallipur,”raised awarenessaboutsustainabilityinDallipur,avillageinIndia,whereaglow-in-the-darkhandbag(see Figure1-2)actedasasymbolforcreatingamoresustainablesocietywhendesigningeverydayobjects.
Itishardtoavoidmakingastatementbychangingoraddingfunctionalitytowearableobjects.It alsochangeshowwelookattheseobjects.
Figure1-2.LEDpanelbagfromtheThinkingofDallipurexhibition
PhysicalComputing
Thetermphysicalcomputingisusedtodescribedesigningwithhardwareandsoftwarethatrespondsto thephysicalworld.Itisnottrue,however,thatallphysicalcomputingobjectsrespondtotheanalog world.Thetermisalsousedtodescribeasubcategoryofinteractiondesignthatfocusesonthe relationshipsbetweenusersanddigitalobjects;traditionalnondigitalobjectsareusedandmodified withelectronicstoexplorethisrelationship.Wearablesarealsoconsideredtobeapartofphysical computingaswellasinteractiveartanddesign.
AclassicexampleofphysicalcomputingisDanielRozin’sworkusingmirrors.Rozinisanartistand educatorwhomadeaseriesofmirrorsthatprojectamirrorimageindifferentmaterials,including wood,metal,andeventrash. WorkProcess
Everyone’sworkprocessesdiffer,andtheprocessofmakingwearablesusuallydependsontheproject itself.Notalltheprojectsinthebookfollowthesamepath.Whenworkingonaproject,itissometimesa goodideatopauseandthinkitthroughfirst.Untilyouhavefoundyourownworkprocess,itisgoodto followtheprocessofothers.
ThissectionincludessomeofthekeystonesthatIthinkshouldbeincludedinyourprocess.
TheIdea
Whenitcomestowearablecomputingoranyphysicalcomputing,theideaisalwaysabitofa“the chickenortheegg”problem.Toinspireideasaboutwhattodowithwearablesyouneedtoknowabit aboutelectronicsandprogramming.Atthesametime,thebestwaytolearnaboutelectronicsisto programandmakethings.
Thereisamisconceptionthatyouneedtoknowalotaboutelectronicsbeforeyougetstarted. Simplecomponents,liketheoneshowninFigure1-3,areenoughtogetstarted.Therearetonsof projectsthatcanbemadeifyouknowhowaLEDworksandknowhowtosew(IcoverLEDsearlyinthe book).Creatingtheprojectsinthisbookisagoodstartingpoint,andyouwillsoonfindthatthemore youlearnthroughcreating,themoreideasyouhaveonotherthingstomake.Youshouldallowyourself thefreedomofcreativitytoexploreanyideasyouhave—andbecertaintostorethem.Ideasareabit strangethatway;youcanstudyandlearntonsofthingsthathelpyougenerategoodideas,butinsome cases,theyjusthappen.Evenifyoudon’thaveanyideasonwhattodo,Irecommendyoustilldo something.
Ithinkitistrueinanyfieldofdesign:allgoodideasstartwithpenandpaper.
Figure1-3.Combiningwhatyoualreadyknowwithnewinformationhelpsgeneratenewideas
Researching
Thisbookisagoodstartingpoint,butonebookwillnotmakeyouanexpert.Youneedtoconductyour ownresearchandkeepaneyeoutforwhatishappeninginthefieldofwearables.Besideslearningnew things,thiswillalsohelpyougeneratebetterideasforyourownprojects.Designersborrowideasfrom oneanother,andyoushouldfindinspirationintheworkofothers.Butifyouplantopassanideaoffas yourown,besurenottocopyadesignineverydetail.Instead,findareasinthedesignwhereyoucan makeyourowncontributions.Alwaysgivepropercreditifyouborrowanideaortwofromsomeoneelse.
Design
Designiswhatyoudofromthemomentyoustartthinkingaboutwearablesuntilyoufinishyourproject. Havingaclearplanhelpsalot,butmoreoftenthannot,adesignplanisnotasclearasyoumightwant it.Itisstillagoodthing.I’mafirmbelieverofiterativedesign,whereyoutakestepsinyourdesign processandtaketimebetweeneachsteptoevaluate.Themostimportantpartistonotbeafraidto changeyourdesigns.Aplanisgood,butit’shardtoforeseeeverypossibility,andbelievemewhenIsay alotofyourdesignswillnotturnoutasyouthoughttheywould.
Embracefailingasapartofyourdesignprocess;thisiswhenyoulearnthemost.Designersfailfrom timetotime,eveniftheydon’ttellyouaboutit.
BuildingandTesting
Agoodruleistotesteverythingyoumakeasyoumakeit.Ifyousolderacomponent,checkthatitworks assoonasyouaredone;ifyouareprogramming,onceinawhilecheckthatyourprogramworks.Again, iteratingiskeytomakingwearables.It’sforthesamereasonsyouwouldcheckthatadressfitsthemodel beforeyoustitcheverythingup.Ifyoumakewearableswithouttestingthingsoutinsteps,it’sharderto locatetheproblemwhenyourcompletedwearabledoesn’twork.
WheretoBuyStuff
Knowingaboutthematerialsavailableisveryimportantwhenitcomestobuildingwearables.It’shard tolearnanythingifyoucan’ttryitoutforyourselfwhilefollowingalong.Butifyouarenewtowearables andelectronics,youmightnotknowwheretostartlooking.SoIhaveincludedalistofvendors.The followinglistincludesvendorsIpersonallyrecommend.Italsoincludestheplaceswhereyoucanfind alltheelectronicsandmaterialsusedinthisbook.Internetsearchesmightalsobeagoodideatoseeif therearevendorsclosertoyouorthatofferbetterprices.
SparkFunElectronics
SparkFunElectronics(hasoneofthebestselectionsofelectroniccomponentsand materialsintheworld.Manyofthecomponentsusedinthisbookcanbefoundhere.Thewebsite includesgooddescriptionsandtutorials.Shipsworldwide.
AdafruitIndustries
Adafruitcarriesagreatselectionofcomponentsandmaterials,andhas excellenttutorialsondifferentsubjects.ThecompanyalsoproducesanalternativetotheLilyPadcalled Flora,anotherArduinocloneaimedatwearables.
RSComponents
RSComponents(hasaniceselectionofstandardArduinocomponentsand shipsworldwide.
Farnell
FarnellhasaniceselectionofstandardArduinocomponents,aswellastraditional electronicstools.Shipsworldwide.
RobotItaly
RobotItaly(hasagoodselectionofArduinoboardsandelectroniccomponents forhobbyists.Thecompanyalsocarriesspecializedcomponentsliketheflexiblesolarpanelusedinthis book.ItisaSparkFunElectronicsreseller.Shipsworldwide.
PlugHouse
PlugHouseisaKorea-basedshopwithaselectionofthemostcommonArduino modelsandoneofthemostbeautifulArduinostarterkitpackages.
SeeedStudio
SeeedStudio(isbasedinChinaandhasagreatselectionofusefultoolsand materials.ThecompanyalsoproducesaverysmallandtheonlyflexibleArduinoboardcloneinthe world;itiscalledSeeeduinoFilm.Shipsworldwide.
Squarebit
SquarebitisanonlinestorebasedinAustraliathatcaterstostudents,hobbyists, andhackers.Thecompanyhasagoodselectionofcomponents.
electro:kit
electro:kit(isbasedinSweden.Thecompanyfeaturesagreatselectionof componentsforbothhobbyistsandprofessionals.ItalsocarriesSparkFunproducts.Catersmainlyto northernEurope.
ArduinoStore
ArduinoStoretheofficialArduinostore,carryingallofficialArduinoboards. Shipsworldwide.
LessEMF
LessEMFfeaturesalargeselectionofconductivefabricsandthread.Shipsworldwide.
FurtherReading
Thefieldofwearablesisanintersectionbetweenelectronics,programming,fashion,andtraditional handcraft.Thismakesitimpossibletocovereverysingleaspectinonebook.Soincombinationwiththis practicalapproachtowearables,youmightfindsomeofthefollowingbooksgoodadd-onstoyour studies.Thelistincludesboththeoreticalandpracticaltitles. AntonioGuerrero,Jose.NewFashionandDesignTechnologies.London,UK:A&CBlackPublishers,2010. Igoe,Tom.MakingThingsTalk.Sebastopol,CA:O’ReillyMedia,2011. Lee,Suzanne.FashioningtheFuture.London,UK:ThamesandHudson,2005. Lewis,Alison.SwitchCraft.NewYork:PotterCraft,2008. Olsson,Tony,etal.OpenSoftwear.BlushingBoyPublishing.2011. Pakhchyan,Syuzi.FashioningTechnology.Sebastopol,CA:O’ReillyMedia,2008. Quinn,Bradley.TechnoFashion.London,UK:BergPublishers,2002. SanMartin,Macarena.FutureFashion.Barcelona,Spain:Promopress,2010. Seymour,Sabine.FashionableTechnology.NewYork:SpringerViennaArchitecture,2008.
C H A P T E R 2
Software
Today,mostpeopledon’tneedtoknowhowcomputerswork.Itispossibletointeractwithmobile phones,computers,andothertechnologybysimplypushingbuttons,sweepingafingeroverascreen,or evenspeakingtothedevice.Formostpeople,thisknowledgeofinteractingwithtechnologyisenough; andfortheeverydayuseofcomputers,thisiswhattheaveragepersonneedstoknow.Butifyouare readingthisbook,myguessisthatyouarenotlikemostpeople.
YouareprobablymorelikemeinthesensethatIdon’twanttobelimitedtousingacomputeras someoneelsethinksIshoulduseit.Iwanttouseacomputerthewaythatfitmyneeds. Tomakeacomputerdowhatwewant,weneedsoftware. Inthischapter,wewillstartbycoveringhowtoinstalltheArduinoIDEonyourcomputer.Later,I willgiveashortintroductiononsoftware,thebasicstructureofcode,andhowtowriteprogramsforthe
Arduino.
InstallingtheIDE
TheArduinoIDEisthesoftwareweneedtoputonourcomputer.TheArduinoIDEiswhereyouwill writeyourprograms(calledsketches)andtransferthemfromyourcomputertotheArduinoboard.In otherwords,itisaprogramthathelpsustowritecodeandsendittotheArduinofromthecomputer.
NoteIDEstandsforIntegratedDevelopmentEnvironment.