HOW TO GET WHAT YOU WANT

Felted Pompom Pressure Sensor

also see: conductive pompom, pompom tool
Make pressure sensor ball by felting a pompom composed of wool and conductive steel fibers.

Using the pompom making tools (or make your own from cardboard) to make a pompom from a mix of regular wool (real woo, not polyester!) and Wera-Tech’s Nm 20/2 composed of 70% laine (=wool!) and 30% Inox steel fiber.
Once you have the pom pom, rub it between your hands with soap and hot water (or put it in the machine). keep rubbing until it felts, giving it a lovely squishy feel to it.

Thanks to Hilary Grant for the tip on the technique of making felted balls from pompoms. You can also throw your pompom in the washing machine to felt it, but i did it by hand because I don’t have a washing machine at my work (yet!).

Instructions also for small felted pompoms on Lion Brand Yarn (have to sign up for free account to access):
>> http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/BK4K-0701007.html?noImages=

Pompom making sound!

Here is a video of the sensor results (the pompom is still wet!)

Process of making

Add soap and hot water

Soak and rub between hands

Dry off with towel

8 Comments so far

TEI 11 – Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction Conference | Deborah Schmidt on February 3rd, 2011

[…] was the first time I heard about hydraulophones – liquid outstruments produced in Toronto, about squeaky pompoms and the declarative Multitouch framework called MIDAS. Also the real ink tracking System called […]
Plusea on August 31st, 2011

[…] demos includes the Tufted Stroke Sensor, the Beaded Tilt Sensor, the Knit Stretch Sensor, the Felted PomPom Pressure Sensor, the Neoprene Bend Sensor and the Crochet […]
Plusea on April 12th, 2012

[…] pressure sensor >> http://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=3175 Felted pompom pressure sensor >> http://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=2395 Knit stretch sensor >> […]
Sketch 3 – Final Research & Brainstorm & Deciding « yantingjin on April 22nd, 2012

[…] http://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=2395 […]
Plusea on September 5th, 2012

[…] sensor demos includes the Fabric Pushbutton, the Beaded Tilt Sensor, the Knit Stretch Sensor, the Felted Pompom Pressure Sensor, the Neoprene Bend Sensor and the Neoprene Pressure Sensor. It also includes the Neoprene Battery […]
led on June 25th, 2013

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Inspiratie | TIII on November 13th, 2013

[…] http://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=2395 […]
Felting conductive wool | TIII on November 17th, 2013

[…] felted the conductive wool, based on this source: http://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=2395 , and we made a ball with […]

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Content by Mika Satomi and Hannah Perner-Wilson

E-Textile Tailor Shop by KOBAKANT

The following institutions have funded our research and supported our work:

Since 2020, Hannah is guest professor of the Spiel&&Objekt Master's program at the University of Performing Arts Ernst Busch in Berlin

From 2013-2015 Mika was a guest professor at the eLab at Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weissensee

From July - December 2013 Hannah was a researcher at the UdK's Design Research Lab

From 2010-2012 Mika was a guest researcher in the Smart Textiles Design Lab at The Swedish School of Textiles

From 2009 - 2011 Hannah was a graduate student in the MIT Media Lab's High-Low Tech research group led by Leah Buechley

In 2009 Hannah and Mika were both research fellows at the Distance Lab

Between 2003 - 2009 Hannah and Mika were both students at Interface Cultures

We support the Open Source Hardware movement. All our own designs published on this website are released under the Free Cultural Works definition

Felted Pompom Pressure Sensor

Pompom making sound!

Here is a video of the sensor results (the pompom is still wet!)

Process of making

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