University of Twente Student Theses
Wearable technology : exploration from the technical side
Opitz, F.T. (2017) Wearable technology : exploration from the technical side.
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| Abstract: | This graduation project is about making sensors applicable within the context of wearable technology. The goal of this field is it to integrate technology into body-worn clothing or garment. Market researchers predict this to be one of the emerging trends of the future. Yet, designers for wearable technology encounter a problem: The sensors available are either limited in their reliability or they are very expensive. The idea for this project was to develop sensors, which hold the balance between those two points. To address this problem the design process for creative technology was used. From several material choices, a combination of carbon fibre embedded into silicone was chosen. The silicone has several desirable properties for the field while the carbon is highly conductive. Through several iterations, three different designs for sensors out of these materials were refined: one stretch and one pressure sensor and an electrode ring. For the final design of each of those, a manual has been compiled detailing the manufacturing process. The manuals have been tested by user testing and the resulting sensors were evaluated in regards to their qualitative properties. The outcome was, that the reliability of the sensors is also limited while their other properties, including their material price, were very positive. Therefore, the tests conclude that the here developed sensors do not keep the balance between price and reliability as intended. Further work is needed to improve upon the sensors reliability, but the manuals should made accessible any ways to benefit the designers already. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | EEMCS: Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science |
| Subject: | 50 technical science in general |
| Programme: | Creative Technology BSc (50447) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/72088 |
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