CAREER: E-textile-based Wearable Computing for Sensing User Motions

Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University, Blacksburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

CAREER: E-textile-based Wearable Computing for Sensing User Motions Project Abstract Ideally, a wearable computer should always be available to the user, should not interfere with the user's movements, and should be invisible to those around the user. Electronic textiles (e-textiles), an emerging technology that blends fabric with electronics, has the potential to meet these goals. Interconnections and components are an intrinsic part of the cloth, enabling the creation of "smart" garments that have the appearance and feel of normal clothing while providing sensing and computing capabilities. This NSF CAREER project addresses the research issues involved in designing e-textile garments that can sense their own shapes and the positions of their sensing/processing elements. The major outcome of the research component of this project will be a complete e-textiles design framework that will permit e-textiles to function robustly across a wide range of applications and the full spectrum of the user population. The education component of this project integrates e-textiles research into the classroom and develops novel educational modules for improving the debugging skills of students based upon Kolb's learning cycle and Felder's learning styles. The project's intellectual merit is that it enables e-textiles to reach their full potential for wearable computing, creating a better platform for existing wearable computing applications and being an enabling platform for applications that are not feasible with existing technology. The project also has significant broader impact, by enabling novel applications in the areas of health care for the elderly and people with disabilities, industry, emergency response, and untethered motion tracking. The collaborative nature of the project provides students with multidisciplinary research experience, enhancing their contributions to the future growth of the field. Finally, it is expected that e-textiles can help reinvigorate the Virginia textile industry.