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

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CAREER: E-textile-based Wearable Computing for Sensing User MotionsProject Abstract Ideally, a wearable computer should always be available to the user,should not interfere with the user's movements, and should be invisibleto those around the user. Electronic textiles (e-textiles), an emergingtechnology that blends fabric with electronics, has the potential tomeet these goals. Interconnections and components are an intrinsicpart of the cloth, enabling the creation of "smart" garments that havethe appearance and feel of normal clothing while providing sensing andcomputing capabilities. This NSF CAREER project addresses the research issues involvedin designing e-textile garments that can sense their own shapes andthe positions of their sensing/processing elements. The majoroutcome of the research component of this project will be a completee-textiles design framework that will permit e-textiles to functionrobustly across a wide range of applications and the full spectrum ofthe user population. The education component of this project integratese-textiles research into the classroom and develops novel educationalmodules for improving the debugging skills of students based upon Kolb'slearning cycle and Felder's learning styles. The project's intellectual merit is that it enables e-textiles to reach their full potentialfor wearable computing, creating a better platform for existing wearablecomputing applications and being an enabling platform for applicationsthat are not feasible with existing technology. The project also hassignificant broader impact, by enabling novel applications in the areasof health care for the elderly and people with disabilities, industry,emergency response, and untethered motion tracking. The collaborativenature of the project provides students with multidisciplinary researchexperience, enhancing their contributions to the future growth of thefield. Finally, it is expected that e-textiles can help reinvigoratethe Virginia textile industry.