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  • crochet pressure sensor
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    Content by Mika Satomi and Hannah Perner-Wilson
    We support the Open Source Hardware movement. All our own designs published on this website are released under the Free Cultural Works definition
    The following institutions have funded our research and supported our work:

    Mika was a guest researcher at the Smart Textiles Design Lab, The Swedish School of Textiles

    Hannah is a former graduate student of the MIT Media Lab's High-Low Tech research group


    Hannah and Mika were both research fellows at the Distance Lab
    Sensors

    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

    4 Comments so far

    1. 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 [...]

    2. 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 [...]

    3. Sketch 3 – Final Research & Brainstorm & Deciding « yantingjin on April 22nd, 2012

      [...] http://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=2395 [...]

    4. 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 [...]

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