Workshop presentation for the Home Economics Victoria conference at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre, Friday 19th November, 2016.

1. E-textiles and Wearable
Technologies
Britt Gow, 2016
Twitter: @brittgow
Email: brittgow@gmail.com
http://stem.global2.vic.edu.au

2. eTextiles and Wearable Technologies
eTextiles are innovative textile materials that
incorporate conductive fibres or digital elements
into the design. It can involve the use conductive
thread, fabric, tape and/or paint to connect
computer components such as a micro-controller,
LEDs, sensors and batteries. In this session,
participants will make an electronic broach to
showcase how sewing and digital electronics can
bring students into the maker movement and
explore new materials.

3. Examples of wearable technologies
Clothing and accessories with integrated circuits,
such as….
• FitBits, light-up shoes, GPS in AFL, smart
watches
• Smart helmets that monitor heart-rate etc
• Boxing gloves that track performance
• Backpacks with inbuilt solar panels
• LEDs and sensors on your fingernails

4. Apple Watch

5. FitBit

6. Google Glass

7. Heated electric jacket

8. Bike safety gloves

9. LED gloves

10. Light-up shoes

11. Illuminated clothing

12. LilyPad Arduino

13. LilyPad Arduino

14. How does it fit with the Victorian
Curriculum?
• Year 5/6 Physical Science and Design and
Technologies
• Year 7/8 Physical Science and Design and
Technologies

15. Year 5/6 Science Understanding
Physical Sciences
• Light from a source forms shadows and can be
absorbed, reflected and refracted (VCSSU080)
• Energy from a variety of sources can be used
to generate electricity; electric circuits enable
this energy to be transferred to another place
and then to be transformed into another form
of energy (VCSSU081)

16. Year 5/6 Design and Technologies
• Investigate how forces or electrical energy can
control movement, sound or light in a
designed product or system (VCDSTC034)
• Investigate characteristics and properties of a
range of materials, systems, components,
tools and equipment and evaluate the impact
of their use (VCDSTC037)
• Creating Designed Solutions

17. Year 7/8 Physical Sciences
• Energy appears in different forms including
movement (kinetic energy), heat, light,
chemical energy and potential energy; devices
can change energy from one form to another
(VCSSU104)

18. Year 7/8 Design and Technology
• Technologies Contexts: Analyse how motion,
force and energy are used to manipulate and
control electromechanical systems when creating
simple, engineered solutions (VCDSTC045)
• Materials and Technologies specialisations:
Analyse ways to create designed solutions
through selecting and combining characteristics
and properties of materials, systems,
components, tools and equipment (VCDSTC048)
• Creating Designed Solutions

19. Electronic brooch

20. Light-up mini-monsters

21. What you need:
• Felt and woolen fabric scraps
• Sewing thread, needles and scissors
• 3V button battery and battery holder
• Conductive thread (SparkFun)
• Light emitting diodes (Jaycar)
• Embroidery thread, buttons and beads
• Optional: Safety pins, press-studs, feathers,
fur, sequins, pipe-cleaners etc

25. Light-Emitting Diodes
(LED’s) are available in a
variety of sizes and
colours. They have a long
wire and short wire to
distinguish between the
positive and negative
sides. They will only light
up when attached to the
power source the correct
way.

27. Cut two copies of
your pattern
from felt – the
battery and globe
is attached to the
back copy and
the front piece is
the decorative
one.

28. Attach the conductive thread to the
battery holder using a half hitch

29. Attach the battery
holder to the back
felt and sew from the
battery holder to the
LED and then from the
LED back to the other
side of the battery
holder, to form a
complete circuit – do
not cross the threads!

30. Decorate the front felt
with embroidery and/or
beadwork, making sure
you leave a flap
unstitched to replace
the battery.
You may like
to cut a small hole in the
felt to allow the LED to
shine through.

33. Contact me:
• Email: brittgow@gmail.com
• Twitter: @brittgow
• Blog: http://stem.global2.vic.edu.au
• School: Hawkesdale P12 College
• Phone: (03) 5560 7225