Interaction Design x Research
Teaching Smart Wearables
Textile Interfaces, Soft Electronics, e-Textiles
In the last six weeks we gave a hands-on course on smart wearables and e-textiles to Aalto University bachelor and master students from design, engineering and computer science. In this course, we taught how to create textile sensors from scratch that can be integrated into garments and clothing such as gloves or insoles for gesture and movement recognition (e.g., for sign language recognition, gaming or rehabilitation training).
The students took a textile-first approach by removing as many hard electronic components as possible (e.g., pre-made sensors, wires) and using soft, conductive fabrics and yarns instead. They fabricated their own pressure and stretch sensors through layering, laminating or knitting and stitched circuit traces with needle and yarn.
My observation is that teaching the basics of electricity and electronics through a hands-on approach with textile and soft materials made the fundamental ideas more “graspable”. By stitching circuits and switches students seemed to understand more tangibly how circuitry works and electricity flows - instead of using conventional wires and components that hide its conductive parts or pre-made buttons and sensors. With this, the students also reflected on wearability, modularity and washability.
My take away: A textile-lens (textiles are interconnected, layered and flexible) supported our pedagogical goals in a great way! 🧶🪡🧤
Teaching Team: Yu Xiao Emmi Pouta Sara Kutkova
Glove design by Mengshi Yang Yao Zhang Suyang Meng
The students took a textile-first approach by removing as many hard electronic components as possible (e.g., pre-made sensors, wires) and using soft, conductive fabrics and yarns instead. They fabricated their own pressure and stretch sensors through layering, laminating or knitting and stitched circuit traces with needle and yarn.
My observation is that teaching the basics of electricity and electronics through a hands-on approach with textile and soft materials made the fundamental ideas more “graspable”. By stitching circuits and switches students seemed to understand more tangibly how circuitry works and electricity flows - instead of using conventional wires and components that hide its conductive parts or pre-made buttons and sensors. With this, the students also reflected on wearability, modularity and washability.
My take away: A textile-lens (textiles are interconnected, layered and flexible) supported our pedagogical goals in a great way! 🧶🪡🧤
Teaching Team: Yu Xiao Emmi Pouta Sara Kutkova
Glove design by Mengshi Yang Yao Zhang Suyang Meng