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this course is part of the contemporary puppetry department program at the university of performing arts Ernst Busch berlin. #paper-adventures mit hannah perner-wilson & julian jungel im gestaltungsprojekt 2021 begeben wir uns auf abenteuerreise mit paper & elektronik. wir wissen nicht wohin uns diese reise führen wird, aber wir werden den weg dorthin gut dokumentieren, […]

When starting to learn programming, one of the concept that is hard to grasp (it was hard to grasp for me…) is “variables”. “In computer programming, a variable or scalar is a storage location (identified by a memory address) paired with an associated symbolic name, which contains some known or unknown quantity of information referred […]

Computers and microcontrollers internally represent numbers (and all the data) with 0 and 1. This is because these chips are made of a lot of switches that has two states ON (1) and OFF (0). If you look at the historic photos of early computers you will see a lot of switches and operators manually […]

This is a quick way to prototype pressure sensor with velostat/ESD foil. You will need a piece of velostat/ ESD foil, Aluminum foil, a sheet of paper, stick glue and scissors. (the photo below does not include velostat!) In this example, I am using 5cm x 5cm piece of velostat. The size and shape could […]

This is a paper contact switch made with a piece of paper and aluminum foil. You will need a piece of Aluminum foil, a sheet of paper, stick glue, scissors. If you do not have stick glue, you can also use any sticky tape. Cut out strip of paper. this will be a base shape […]

When you first start working with Arudino, you can do the following to check if you computer connects with Arduino Connect your Arduino with your computer through USB cable. Open your Arduino IDE (download from here), and open blink example sketch from File/Examples/Basics/Blink. It will open a Blink sketch window From Tools/Board choose Arduino Uno […]

This workshop is held as a part of the semester project course “Weigh/Measure/Count” at the Weissensee Art Academy Berlin during the Summer Semester 2021. You can use electrical sensors to measure, count and weigh objects or environment. These sensors often use unique properties of materials, that changes its electrical property like resistance, capacitance, luminescence.. when […]

We like to embed electronics in everything these days, and while we’re at it why not include wifi so that everything can communicate with everything via The Internet. This is a short introduction, as part of a 2-day workshop, to how things are talking with each-other using electricity. how things are talking with each-other using […]

This workshop is a part of a course UltraTools at the Product Design department of the Weissensee Art Academy Berlin, held on April 19th and 21st 2021. Designing Interaction How you interact with an object/ device and how it responds to you is a big part of how you perceive the object. For example: If […]

see also our post on Meet the Mateirals of Electronic Textiles >> https://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=8012

see also our post on Meet the Mateirals of Electronic Textiles >> https://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=8012

read more >> http://etextile-summercamp.org/swatch-exchange/interested-sensors/

read more >> http://etextile-summercamp.org/swatch-exchange/interested-sensors/

this multimeter hat allows me to visualize the conductivity of a material i’m holding in my hands. the only problem is that i can’t see the visualization myself since it happens ontop of my head. thus i rely on the faces of the people looking at me, interpreting their reactions. the tip of this hat […]

as you can see the knob of this knee is so extremely knobbly that is detaches from the knee almost completely. the result are unique sensing properties that include being able to tell which direction the knob is knobbling. based on the same construction as the interested sensor nr2 but connecting to different pins of […]

a pair of socks for soft walking and drawing while walking. pressure sensors under the heel and toe regions of both feed sense the steps being taken. a knit stretch sensor on the elastic band that connects the feet senses the force and size of your steps. an ESP32 and powerbank are housed in a […]

This workshop is part of a course at the Ernst Busch Hochschule in Berlin. It is only open to students of Spiel&&Objekt. SOFT TECHNOLOGIES FOR SOFT BODIES is a 2week course and a place for *making-believe* that SOFTness is the solution to our HARD problems. we will set ourselves up to indulge this fantasy so […]

i scream you scream Bare-bones thick copper wire circuitry that doubles as both structural frame and circuit traces. And the Lulu Bumblebee optic-fiber connector PCB works great for soldering to the thick wire! Flickr set >> https://www.flickr.com/photos/plusea/albums/72157677471035377 mask option 1: mask option 2: mask option 3: Initial sketches for the masks: RELATED WORK >> https://gtt.ufg.at/fff2019/author/sofiemitf/ […]

You can divide the voltage with 2 resisters. The voltage gets divided according to the ratio between the 2 resisters. Let’s make an experiment. Here, 5V is divided with 2 resisters. both of them are 10k ohm, so ratio 1:1. I connect the middle to A0, which we are reading with the current code on […]

This is a course note and a documentation of the 4 day workshop at the Interface Culture, Kunstuniversität Linz, Austria. The course takes place from January 26 – 29, 10-17:00 Online. The course is given only to the registered students at the Kunstuniversität Linz. AI and Machine Learning is any longer the technology that belongs […]

In this 2 days online course, we cover the basic introduction of Arduino, how to connect and read e-textile sensors and how we can use them to control sound synthesis with Arduino. Starting to work with Arduino Connect your Arduino with your computer through USB cable. Open your Arduino IDE (download from here), and open […]

When prototyping quickly and rehearsing with performers to test out different sensor placement set-ups, I do not always have time to create whole sensor garments. I learned about this kinesiolosgy tape from a fried who had a muscle injury. The tape is made so that by taping on body directly it supports and massages muscle. […]

i learned the term “crotch lemon” from rachel freire. a lemon shaped insert to the crotch to avoid wear and tear from leg movement…. the perfect position for a sensor! i made this sensor as part of the goooch suit:

_______________MATERIAL_ADVENTURES_______________ ………………the boardgame adventure for humans and other materials LEVEL2_ THE REMAKE you set off on a journey with another material you wish to make with . the goal is to return with an understanding that you are equally remade . As etextile practitioners we engage with other conductive materials on a regular basis and […]

What have you been up to this past year? A wide open call for samples of your etextile craft _deadline: January 7 2021_ At the end of a year in which the diverse measures taken to live with the covid virus have changed the ways in which we are able to be together with other […]

This workshop is part of a course at the Ernst Busch Hochschule in Berlin. It is only open to students of Spiel&&Objekt. least likely scenario is a 3week course that introduces how computers work and immediately challenges you to imagine how we could interact with them differently.

This semester, we are sitting in a strange bubble at home. No casual coffee with your friend between the lectures, no physical exchange of cool weaving trick to speed up your assignment, no hugging, no kissing… Instead of crying over all the things we lack, we can try to use the situation positively, as a unique experience of being isolated, connected only (or mostly) via internet with your friends and colleagues, but somehow share the experience together. Perhaps this is a chance to think about how we can design such an online, remote, yet connected experience. This is my proposal for this semester.

6 really wearable sensors The textile sensors on our website are often not designed to be manipulated with your hands. In an attempt to move away from manual control, towards bodily entanglement, this post shows 6 wearable textile sensors that are designed to be worn on different parts of the body. The idea being that […]

This is a course note for the Soft Interactive Technology course at the Art Academy Weissensee Berlin. The course is normally given as a series of hands-on workshops, but due to our difficulty of meeting each other in physical spaces, it is developed as an online course for the year. It was first given in […]

This workshop is part of a course at the Ernst Busch Hochschule in Berlin. It is only open to students in the departments of Contemporary Puppetry and Spiel&&Objekt.

Rather simple way of making insoles with 3 pressure sensors located at different pressure points of the foot on the ground. The entire circuitry is sewn with conductive thread on sewing machine. The piezoresistive (pressure sensing) material is taped in place until finalized and can then also be sewn in place by machine (with regular […]

How many times I’ve made various little vibration-motor break-out modules like these so that they can be snapped into wearable projects….. Using either Sugru silicon or Shapelock/polymorph/friendly plastic/thermoplast…… or casting resin ontop.

with NO SCREENS? 5. – 7.05. & 12. – 14.05. 11:00 – 13:00 & 14:00 – 16:00. This workshop is only open to S&&O students This workshop was born out of the social distancing restrictions we are practicing to delay the spread of the corona virus. It is an attempt to teach a very materials […]

Come study eTextiles in the context of play, theater, participatory performance, storytelling and material puppetry in Berlin! In march 2020 Hannah started a new job, and is now professor in the masters program Spiel&&Objekt (Play&&Object), situated in the contemporary puppetry department of Berlin’s performing arts university Ernst Busch. It’s a new program and our first […]

A worksheet for taking note of: The electrical resistance range of an analog sensor (Ohm). Picking a mean resistance in that range. Using a resistor of that resistance to build a Voltage Divider that will translate resistance into voltage. Taking note of the min and max voltage range this gives you. Connecting this variable voltage […]

Very simple solution for capturing the movement of the chest or stomach breathing using a stretch sensor knit from a stainless-steel & polyester yarn “sensor yarn”. Photos >> https://www.flickr.com/photos/plusea/albums/72157713915361228 HOW THE SENSOR WORKS The stainless steel fibers in the yarn are short, and the electrical resistance between them is high (when relaxed <1M Ohm). And […]

FYI: Open call for KYOTO Design Lab Textiles Summer School 2020 is out. The deadline is on the May 7th. https://www.d-lab.kit.ac.jp/events/2020/tss-2020/ It is the midst of crazy situation, and it maybe hard to think of the summer now… But if you are interested in visiting Chirimen weavers in Kyotango, one of the Japan’s traditional textile […]

the_boardgame This workshop-as-boardgame was developed during corona times as a means of teaching remotely with as little screen-time as possible. #noscreens MaterialAdventures >> https://www.plusea.at/?p=6605

This workshop is only open to students of the Spiel&&Objekt master program at the Ernst Busch Hochschule in Berlin.

A potentiometer, a potential devider, with the resistive track as the big donut and the conductive wiper as the small donut.

USB plugs are surprisingly easy to make yourself. You might have already seen some versions made directly on a PCB – either milled or etched (or scraped by hand) from copper laminated FSR board. But you can also sew a USB plug with some thick conductive thread (or wire) and some wood in which you […]

Flipdots, flap, jumps, speakers, motor, fur…

January 2020, hosted jointly by Interface Cultures and Fashion and Technology departments at the Art University Linz, Austria * * * This workshop is only open to Art University Linz students. Students should only sign up for this course if they can commit to attending the full schedule (see bellow). * * * In this […]

Multiple of these: Flapping Wing Swatch Example >> https://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=5900

H-bridge circuit diagram: Flipdot mechanism: Super simple with single transistor flips one direction only: With h-bridge circuit build on breadbaord (2 NPN transistors, 2 PHP transistors): MAKING-OF

18 Nov – 6 Dez 2019, course taught by Clemens Winkler and Hannah Perner-Wilson at Spiel & Objekt Hochschule für Schauspielkunst Ernst Busch Photos >> https://www.flickr.com/photos/plusea/albums/72157712439878226

Photos >> https://www.flickr.com/photos/plusea/albums/72157712300020868 HANDOUT English Handout Text eTEXTILE TESTER BRACELET Explore the world of electronic textiles! The eTextile Tester Bracelet is a tool for testing the conductive properties of materials. The bracelet itself is an electronic textile: a felt band with a soft circuit sewn into it. Wearing and using this simple tool becomes means […]

ETextiles rely on the existence of electrically conductive fibers, threads and fabrics that can be used in combination with textile techniques such as sewing, weaving and knitting. Most of these conductive materials are produced by industry for anti-static and EMF shielding purposes. The development and production of materials for crafting soft circuits and sensors is […]

This is a 4 days workshop at the Weissensee Art Academy Berlin as a part of the Textile and Surface design course. The workshop will take place from December 9th to 13th. In this workshop, we will look into using Shape Memory Alloy (SMA), understanding the basics of SMA, how to set/memorize the shape, how […]

CODE EXAMPLES ARDUINO Single Analog Sensor Value Smoothing a Single Analog Sensor Value Multiple Analog Sensor Values Smoothing Multiple Analog Sensor Values ARDUINO —> PROCESSING Graph Single Analog Sensor Value in Processing Graph Multiple Analog Sensor Values in Processing ARDUINO Single Analog Sensor Value Examples: Communication –> Graph This example contains the code you need […]

This is NOT a stretch sensor, but rather the opposite, a way of making a stretchy connection/lead/trace. A tube knit from conductive thread with round elastic inserted. Before finishing the ends, the knit tube is stretched to it’s max and elastic’s max stretch (or other max can be taken) and then fixed. You can work […]

When using microcontroller for embroidery circuit projects, sometimes you do not want to directly solder them on the embroidery as you need to take it out to change the program on it. For this, sockets are convenient, but it is also bulky on the fabric. I used 5mm felt, that is as thick as the […]

(German version bellow) Stories from an e-textile tailor Make your tech and wear it too! In this talk I’d like to give an introduction to the materials, tools, skills and energies involved in making electronic textiles and tailoring wearable technology, which has been my practice for the past 13 years. I spend my days crafting […]

In this post I want to try and explain how a pressure matrix built from conductive rows and columns with a piezoresistive material (Eeonyx, Velostat) in between works, how to wire it up to an Arduino and write the Arduino code that will parse through the rows and columns to read the individual pressure points […]

11 December 2019, 15-18:00 at TH Nürnberg, Germany Download PDF documentation of outcome >> http://kobakant.at/downloads/PDFs/20-takingPartsApart_THnurnberg.pdf Photos >> https://www.flickr.com/photos/plusea/albums/72157712797821188 A hands-on exercise in getting to know the electronic parts that make up the technologies we use every day. After understanding how they work, can we re-imagine them to be made in different ways? Links: >> konp.plusea.at/ […]

An attempt to combine three iconic illustrations of ohm’s law into one: annotated in german (english coming soon): ORIGINALS: the best: forrest m. mims Getting Started in Electronics >> https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5jcnBPSPWQyaTU1OW5NbVJQNW8/edit the water analogy:

Copper of thread, pigment of change…..

All from one circle….

A simple LED circuits with an interrupted connection that can be worn as a bracelet.

A collection of simple circuits (power, actuator) that are missing a part of their connection. Intended for visualizing the effects that variable resistive sensors have on the amount of voltage that reaches the actuator.

Three techniques for mounting LEDS on top of buttons. 1 sew buttons with a solderable conductive thread and solder LEDs afterwards to the thread. 2 prepare button with copper tape and solder LED first and then sew to make contact to the copper tape pads. 3 same as 2 but mount LED underneath button facing […]

October 2019 – January 2020, a course in the department of Gestaltung: Technik-Textil at the Kunstuniversität Linz, Austria This course is only open to students of Gestaltung: Technik-Textil. This course pursues an exploratory approach to introducing electronic textiles (E-Textiles) as a material practice. Taking the analogy of an expedition, students will depart on a journey […]

A little goes a long way. Stainless steel fibers blended with wool roving and spun and plied on on a drop-spindle. Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/plusea/albums/72157711023086991 This is not a recipe but an attempt to share things to think about when you approach spinning your own conductive yarn. Or “sensor” yarn in the sense that it’s electrical conductivity […]

Hydrogen Peroxide Etching Conductive Fabric. Part of a counterchemists collaboration. Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/plusea/albums/72157710980633483 copper riptstop: silver lycra (front): silver lycra (back): silver lycra (stretched): materials: High acidity vinegar (24%): look in the cleaning section of your local supermarket for vinegars used in cleaning. Hydrogen Peroxide (Wasserstoffperoxid Lösung) 30%: ask at your local pharmacy and let them […]

Together with Maurin we have been wondering what exactly goes on inside a piezoresistive material – or where the piezoresistive effect takes place. >> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piezoresistive_effect Ideas for why/where changes in resistance are happening by Maurin Donneaud: The information I bring here comes from my intuitions that I have not yet had the time to confirm […]

A pair of leggings and a glove made conductive (with piezoresistive properties) via a technique of polypyrrole polymerization, using tie-dye technique to create areas of non-conductivity.

Two techniques for resisting In-Situ Polymerization of fabrics: “Tie-Poly”: tie-die binding Batik: application of hot wax Part of a counterchemists collaboration. Photos >> https://www.flickr.com/photos/plusea/albums/72157710354823622/page4/ VIDEO “Tie-Poly” Tie-dye is a technique of binding off parts of a fabric in order to prohibit the water dye from penetrating into these regions. Scrunching the fabric and tying string […]

Part of a counterchemists collaboration. Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/plusea/albums/72157710884689521 Polymerization of PolyPyrrol materials: Pyrrol Polymerization agent tools: DIY Magnetic Stirrer https://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-DIY-Magnetic-Stirrer/ POLYMERIZED FABRICS: Knit Viskose – 95% viskose, 5% elastan Knit Bamboo – 95% bamboo, 5% elastan Shieldex® Technik-Tex P130 – 78% Polyamide, 22% Elastomer, 99% pure Silver Powermesh – 82% nylon 18% spandex Shieldex® Kassel – […]

A Pressure Sensor made with conductive wool. You can mix a bit of wool to increase the range of resistance change.

Three robots encased in clear tupperware as an easy means of experiencing how textile sensors can be used to control textile actuators (well the LED BOT is not really a textile actuator – but could use fibrous stuffing to diffuse the light!) Textile LED Bot Textile Servo Bot Textile Speaker Bot Textile LED Bot Textile […]

Instead of soldering the LED to the tip of the Lulu BEE you could solder the ends of 4-wires to the pads on the PCB. Thus the Lulu becomes a 4-way e-textile to wire adapter… connector… breakout…

A lengthy pin potentiometer. Something like a slug on the back of your hand. Filled with polenta. You poke the sharp pin through layers of conductive fabrics (and the polenta), one is highly conductive the other has lots of resistance. The pin is conductive and makes an electrical connection from the conductive wiper layer to […]

A part of textiles summer school at DLAB KIT Kyoto Japan. August 19 – 30, 2019 Textiles stand at the forefront of material technology offering a staggering range of characteristics for designers to exploit: touch, fold, stretch, stroke, squeeze, scrub, etc. We manipulate textile surfaces that surround us in various ways. By embedding e-textile materials […]

ccc camp 2019 Extend your CARD10 wristband out into the world….. of etextiles! friday, 22-8-19, 19:00-20:30 in the CARD10 village saturday, 23-8-19, 18:30-20:00 in the CARD10 village >> https://card10.badge.events.ccc.de/en/workshops/ bring (if you have): – your CARD10, USB-C cable, laptop – “normal” LEDs – scissors – pliers – sewing needles step-by-step: More photos: https://flickr.com/photos/plusea/albums/72157710505658161 STAGE 1: […]

8-9 November 2019, Queen Mary University of London Artists, technologists and makers are invited to take part in a hackathon around the themes of absurd musical interfaces, questionable sonic interactions and unworkable music designs. Does this sound fun to you? Please, join us! Application Deadline: 8 September 2019 >> http://instrumentslab.org/research/absurd-music-design.html

August 29 & 30 2019, 10-16:00, TU Berlin From Robots that Craft, to Crafting Robots Examining technology through a material lens — a means of looking inside the machine by way of remaking its component parts — in order to spin new robot stories. This workshop was invited by Pat Treusch of „Träumen Roboter vom […]

Stories from an e-textile tailor Presentation at the CCC Camp 2019, 2019-08-21 16:00 >> https://media.ccc.de/v/Camp2019-10375-make_your_tech_and_wear_it_too In this talk i’d like to give an introduction to the materials, tools, skills and energies involved in making electronic textiles and tailoring wearable technology, which has been my practice for the past 13 years. I spend my days crafting […]

Recently I have noticed bart and francis has merino wool / inox conductive yarn. (https://www.bart-francis.be/index.php?item=–150-meter_cone&action=article&group_id=128&aid=4531&lang=EN) This sounds really interesting! I have ordered it immediately, and just have got the package. Here is the first try out of the measurement and comparison to the plug and wear conductive yarn. The spec of the yarn is “82% […]

Instead of treating each conductive petal contact of the this fabric tilt sensor as an individual digital input, the petals are connected through a resistive fabric ring. The end petals in this “resistor ladder” connectto GND and VCC to create a voltage divider (just like inside a potentiometer) and the bead makes for a voltage […]

June 9-15, 2019 at Shakerag in Sewanee Tennessee/USA Electricity does not have to be cased up inside slick metal enclosures; we can also let it flow through painted pine-cones, carved traces, and the water in our bodies. The segregation of our abilities into discrete disciplines leaves gray areas to be explored and missing links to […]

The second part of the course is about exploring the SMA (shape memory alloy) and textile. We will go over how to train the SMA, how to connect them and how you can trigger them with electricity. We will also connect the SMA samples to Arduino and control the activation with it. The first SMA […]

Three etextile related workshops at ITP camp: Wear your tools! https://itp.nyu.edu/camp2019/session/41 Make a Fabric Touchpad https://itp.nyu.edu/camp2019/session/40 Multitouch Paper Recognizing Gestures (with vvvv) PART 1&2 https://itp.nyu.edu/camp2019/session/3

Sunday May 19th 11-16:00 (4h) at KOBAKANT New Studio (Schönwalder Strasse 23, Wedding/Berlin) Our fingers are constantly swiping across touchpads, to enter passwords, navigate maps, play games, type messages. But how does this work? How are our physical interactions with materials sensed and translated into electronic signals that our computers can understand? In this workshop […]

10 x 10 matrix: Photos >> https://www.flickr.com/photos/plusea/albums/72157680387415118 TinyTextileTouchpad 7×7 rSkin Matrix rSkin – Open Source Robot Skin

Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/plusea/albums/72157708415706295 5 x 5 3 x 3

Over the years, we’ve designed and built a variety of small compact circuits that translate electrical resistance into something we can perceive like: light, sound, vibration. This post intents to pull together all these different items in one place. To see if there are insights I’d forgotten about as well as a pool of inspiration […]

April 18 2019, 11-17:00, Junge Tüftler, Berlin // This workshop is only open to Junge Tüftler MitarbeiterInnen. Adventuring with Materials – a proposal for getting lost and coming home by Hannah Perner-Wilson Building electronics have become very much a learning about the functionality of electronic components, and not an experiencing of the electrical properties of […]

This is an example project/ experiment to use Bela board with e-Textile sensors. Here, I am making crochet blanket with exposed conductive pieces so one can use their skin resistance to “play” music by touching different part of the blanket. The blanket was originally made for a small workshop, and it was connected to Teensy […]

Electronic Textile is a technique that uses metalized or carbon infused thread and fabric to create electronics. You can knit sensors and embroider speakers. In this workshop, you will be introduced how to crochet a touch sensor with conductive threads. The finished crochet sensor will be connected as one big crochet blanket that plays back […]

Swatches that showcase some of the things you can do with the Lulu Daisy – a design solution to connecting e-textiles, LEDs and optic-fibers. – 3 swatches – 6 mini crocodile clips – 1 breadboard with Teensy and crocodile clip connections for (+3V, GND, Data) demo code: cycles through one swatch at a time. was […]

We’ve been working on the Lulu (a design solution to connecting e-textiles, LEDs and optic-fibers) for some time now, and spent a lot of time looking at how we can mount LEDs at a right angle on PCBs and couple the LED with the end of the optic-fiber, but what we have not spent much […]

February 11-15 2019, taught by Paula Te and Hannah Perner-Wilson at the Copenhagen Institute for Interaction Design in Copenhagen, Denmark

Photos >> https://www.flickr.com/photos/plusea/albums/72157705181925511

When we think of what is unusual and unusual in our lives, how do we draw the boundaries that define these categories? The idea of preparing a presentation on “UNusual E-Textile Techniques” appealed to me maybe because I feel much of what made e-textiles attractive to me at the start (12 years ago in 2006) […]

January 21-25 2019, KOBA in Berlin, Germany We have been running our KOBA E-Textile Tailorshop for one year now. During this time we’ve been refining our skills in some of the most basic techniques like making hard-soft connections and detachable parts. But we have also been confronted with learning bespoke tailoring skills in taking a […]

Lulu is a hardware solution that interfaces between an LED light source, an optic fiber strand or bundle, and sewable soft circuit connections. The Lulu provides a toolset for using side glow optical fibers in your eTextile and wearable projects. Use of light in textile and fashion design is becoming more and more common as […]

January 2018, hosted jointly by Interface Cultures and Fashion and Technology departments at the Art University Linz, Austria * * * This workshop is only open to Art University Linz students. Students should only sign up for this course if they can commit to attending the full schedule (see bellow). * * * For the […]

A simple pressure sensor matrix made from two Kapton film sheets with 7×7 copper tape traces and a piece of Velostat or Eeonyx piezoresistive material in between.

A snap connection not only makes for a robust e-textile electrical connector, it also make for a great pivot point. When you have a single electrical connection to make the snap can double as both electrical connection and pivot point. But what when you have more than one electrical connection?