Students from NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program explored the possibilities of weaving technology and fabrics together to create an electronic force. Grad student Alina Balean took a class called “Towers of Power” where she learned how to make DIY projects like a cell phone with an Arduino microcontroller and devices with an Arduino GSM shield. As she acquired this knowledge, she was inspired to develop a wearable cell phone device and applied GSM tech to create the Smart Hoodie. She took a sweatshirt and sewed in a GSM radio, programming it to respond to a variety gestures including touching the sleeve or hood and rolling up the sleeves. The user’s gestures text or Facebook a pre-programmed contact of your choice. Balean teamed up with fellow NYUer Rucha Patwardhan to execute the project, creating an “alternative interface that wasn’t a handheld device.” Contributing to the trend of wearable technology, this Smart Hoodie makes your smartphone into a fashionable, wearable communication device.
After Balean began applying her concept to the hoodie, she first programmed the system to notify her Facebook friends that she was in class; the status update was sent through the internal switches put in the hoodie’s sleeve. Next, Balean and Patwardhan tested other various switches in the hoodie to successfully develop a button-free, touchscreen-free wearable apparatus.
The first text message sent through the Smart Hoodie went to Balean’s mother, alerting her via text, generated by rolling up the left sleeve to send a pre-programmed message. The left sleeve notified her mother that she was in class, whereas the right sleeve texted her mom when she was available to talk. Other benefits of the Smart Hoodie include acting as a safety option for people travelling who need to inconspicuously communicate in public.
Balean says on her website, “The future of communication is in our hands… or arms… not just our fingers.” Made as a wearable experiential communication device, the Smart Hoodie “is targeted to techie individuals who already have access to computers and internet.” The concept will evolve as a “web interface where the user can program preset messages and numbers so when traveling between networked places you can still communicate.” There has not yet been a way to place phone calls through the hoodie; this feature would be an excellent addition and may be something to add to wearables in the future.
Story via Alina Balean
Advertisement
