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Archive for the ‘Wearable Computing’ Category

Most people today rely on technology to navigate through the world. That is practical thanks to the reliability of modern GPS. But receiving directions can be difficult for people with certain disabilities. People who are blind, for instance, cannot look at a map on a smartphone. People with missing limbs may not even be able to hold a smartphone. To help those people, Rice University engineers have developed a lightweight wearable device that uses pressurized air to provide directions.

Instead of displaying a graphical map, this device indicates to the user when they should make a turn. It does so through pneumatic haptic feedback. The device’s electronic components attach to wearable textiles, so it is out of the way. Pneumatic hoses run from the device to nozzles pointed at the user’s skin. The locations of those nozzles can be tailored to suit the user’s preferences and physiology. When the device needs to alert the user, such as when a turn is coming up, it will open a valve to the appropriate hose so air blows on their skin.

The Rice engineers designed a prototype to test this concept, which uses an Arduino Nano board for control. The Arduino opens the solenoid valves through MOSFETs and it receives commands from an external device, like a computer, via a four-channel 433MHz receiver. Air comes from canisters of compressed CO2 through a pressure regulator.

In testing, subjects were able to correctly interpret the pneumatic haptic feedback 87% of the time.

The post This wearable device uses air to provide directions appeared first on Arduino Blog.

Poor posture is an epidemic for nearly anyone who spends an excessive amount of time sitting, and this can lead to a whole host of problems later in life. Some of these might include back pain, limited range of motion, and muscle tightness. Recognizing that his own posture was lacking, element14 user vlasov01 got to work designing and constructing a small wearable device for element14 Design for a Cause 2021 contest, which could help him alter his posture throughout the day to a more correct one. This project was dubbed the Trakcore, and it uses the sensors on the Arduino Nano 33 IoT to sense how a person is sitting or standing and then sends an alert when it needs adjustment. 

Trakcore started with collecting large amounts of data that included positional data for both straight and curved spinal shapes. Next, this dataset was used to train a model within Edge Impulse’s Studio that could infer which position the user is currently in. Once the code to integrate the model with the IMU, vibration motor, LED, and BLE stack was finished, an app was created to receive notifications from the wearable device and display them.

After adjusting some variables within the code and making the wearable ignore posture while the user is walking, the Trakcore was subsequently tested and performed quite well at notifying the wearer when their posture was incorrect. 

You can read more about the Trakcore here.

The post Trakcore is a Nano 33 IoT-based posture correction device appeared first on Arduino Blog.

Google rarely enters the hardware world and when they do, they receive a mixed reception. The smart glasses were very controversial when they first launched, due to privacy and fashion concerns. But the idea was a good one: a wearable computer that gave you a heads-up display (HUD) at all times. Unfortunately, even today’s Google Glass models are very expensive. That’s why this Redditor built their own DIY smart glasses using affordable components.

The pair looks a lot like a bulkier version of Google Glass and they perform a similar function. The wearer gets a HUD positioned in front of one eye that displays useful information. In this case, the information comes from a separate device via Bluetooth. The software is still in development, but these glasses could theoretically display any information from a connected smartphone, such as navigation or text messages. The screen is monochrome and has a low resolution, but it is enough for basic graphics and text.

The primary component is an Arduino Nano 33 BLE. That drives a 0.49″ OLED screen through an I2C connection. A lens and mirror project the screen onto a clear phone case lined with HUD film intended for cars. Power comes from a small 450mAh lithium-ion battery. The frame is off-the-shelf, but the enclosure for the electronics is a custom 3D-printed affair. It allows for adjustability, making the screen clear and readable. The software isn’t ready yet, but the STL files are available if you want to build your own DIY smart glasses.

The post Giving Google Glass a run for its money appeared first on Arduino Blog.

A dangerous fall can happen to anyone, but they are particularly dangerous among the elderly as that demographic might not have effective ways to get help when needed. Rather than having to purchase an expensive device that costs up to $100 per month to use, Nathaniel F. on Hackster wanted to build a project that harnessed the power of embedded machine learning to detect falls and send an alert. His solution involves the Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense board, which not only has an integrated accelerometer but also contains Bluetooth Low Energy capabilities that lets the processor communicate with the accompanying mobile app. 

Nathaniel trained his ML model on the SmartFall dataset, which allows the device to respond to a wide variety of falls and ignore non-harmful movements. Once training was completed, he was able to achieve an accuracy of 95%. The Nano 33 BLE Sense samples accelerometer data at 31.25Hz to match the dataset’s frequency, and it makes a prediction every two seconds. If a fall is detected or the built-in emergency button was pressed, the user has 30 seconds to deactivate the alarm, otherwise it sends a BLE message to the phone which in turn sends an SMS message to an emergency contact containing the current location. 

Even though this DIY fall detector works well already, Nathaniel plans on making a custom PCB and extending the battery life for longer use time between charging. You can read more about his design here, and you can view his demonstration video below.

 

The post This wearable device sends an alert whenever it detects a fall appeared first on Arduino Blog.

Wearable displays are nothing new, but many of them lack that all-important “fun” element. That’s why OlivierZ over on Instructables created Wilson the IoT Hat. The smart hat contains a large 232mm by 22mm flexible LED strip on its front that prominently shows rainbow text across a 71×7 LED matrix. The whole thing runs on a single 9V battery, which powers an Arduino Nano, HC-05 Bluetooth module, and LED matrix. All of these components are nicely tucked away within the top of the hat to prevent wearers from seeing unsightly wires. 

Olivier wrote a simple app the connects to the HC-05 module with a single press of a button. Users are then able to type out a message and send it to the device where the letters scroll across the display with various effects applied. If people are sending undesirable messages repeatedly, there’s a blacklist function that enables blocking the problematic user(s). 

Wilson the IoT Hat is a great showcase of just how enjoyable creating interactive wearables can be. More details on the project and its accompanying app can be found in Olivier’s write-up here

The post Use your smartphone to control Wilson the IoT Hat appeared first on Arduino Blog.

While diabetes is still very much a serious disease, medical advancements over the past few decades make it much easier to live with. Wearable glucose monitors in particular provide a convenient way for people to keep an eye on their blood sugar, so they can get the extra insulin that they need before they start feeling the effects of low blood sugar. DiaFit is a customizable glucose monitor system that gives people options and it relies on an Arduino Nano 33 IoT board.

Most wearable glucose monitors available today, like the popular FreeStyle Libre 2, are small patch-like devices that stick to the skin. They connect through Bluetooth to a separate device that users can check to see their blood sugar levels. Those are often either bulky units that take up space in a purse or pocket, or wearable gadgets that resemble smartwatches. DiaFit is modular and gives people more options.

The DiaFit system consists of a few individual modules and one of those, based on the Nano 33 IoT board, has an OLED screen that shows current blood sugar levels. Because DiaFit is modular, it is wearable in multiple ways. The team behind DiaFit created a wristband, a ring, a necklace, and an earpiece. People with diabetes could choose any of those and even switch between them as the situation demands. You might want to wear DiaFit as a necklace when at the office and then switch to the wristband when you go for a jog. DiaFit is still a prototype, but this technology could make it more convenient to live with diabetes.

The post DiaFit is a customizable glucose monitor system based on the Nano 33 IoT appeared first on Arduino Blog.

In the fictional Marvel Universe, Wolverine has sets of claws that pop out of his hands as if they were natural parts of his body. While a seemingly fantastic concept, myoelectric sensors are able to pick up on muscle movements in order to illicit a response. YouTuber MERT Arduino & Tech decided to take this concept and build a pair of forearm-mounted claws.

The wearable device senses muscle activation via a MyoWare muscle sensor, which sends information on to an Arduino Nano on a custom carrier board. Depending on the signal, it’s able to extend or retract claws, with the help of a servo motor and linkage system.

The project looks like a lot of fun, and more information can be found in the video’s description below. It’s also not the first time we’ve seen some 3D-printed bionic claws — similar instructions are available in this Make: tutorial.

The post Channel your inner Wolverine with these 3D-printed, muscle-controlled bionic claws appeared first on Arduino Blog.

You can turn on an LED with a button or switch, but what about by bending your finger? Willpower Studios’ textile flex sensor, dubbed Finger Bend, presents a method for such an interface.

Inside the custom sleeve is a piece of piezoresistive stretch fabric, which is attached by copper threads to an Arduino Nano’s analog input pin. When a finger is curled, the light is then turned on and turned off again when straightened.

While an LED is interesting, this concept could be taken much further, perhaps using multiple digits for more intricate control. Details and code for the project is available in Willpower Studios’ write-up.

The post Finger Bend is a DIY textile flex sensor appeared first on Arduino Blog.

For a variety of reasons, including potential virus transmission, it’s a bad idea to touch your face too often. If you need a little “help” to break this habit, then you might consider the STOP Face Touching Device by DesignMaker.

The system takes the form of a very sci-fi-looking helmet, which monitors the area around the user’s face with four IR sensors. An Arduino Nano is used for control of the device, and when you do touch your face, it responds by smacking your forehead with a motor/spring device. It also increases the number of touches on an OLED display. 

Between a slight amount of pain and the public shaming, perhaps your behavior will be modified. Alternatively, you can just check out the build/demo below for a bit of a laugh and maybe some inspiration!

The post This futuristic-looking device actively discourages you from touching your face appeared first on Arduino Blog.

The Nano is one of our smallest boards, and as YouTuber Craft Channel has proven, it’s tiny enough to act as the brains of a wristwatch. This DIY wearable device features a nicely made wooden enclosure, with power supplied by a 1S 300mAh LiPo battery, and the face itself shown on a 1.3″ ST7789 display.

Its lack of a real-time clock unit, along with a fairly limited battery, means that the watch will only work for a short time before needing attention. However, creator Craft Channel notes that the build is an experimental project, and it’s a great demo of what can be done with a short bill of materials and a bit of ingenuity!



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