One leg at a time
Sophie Skach, Rebecca I. A. Stewart · 2019
Custom made textile sensors encounter design and manufacturing challenges that differ from conventional printed circuit board-based sensors. The field of e-textiles commonly deploys such sensors on the human body, meaning that overcoming these challenges are crucial for reliable sensor performance. In this paper, we present and evaluate the design of trousers with embedded fabric sensors. Two iterative prototypes were manufactured and tested in two user studies, focusing on mechanical aspects of the design for applications in capturing body movement within social interaction. We report on failures and risks of the design, and furthermore propose solutions for a more robust, yet soft wearable sensing system.