Hi my name is Boris Kourtoukov
Today I will present you a paper titled Monarch V2
An iterative design approach to
Prototyping a wearable electronics project
Co-authored with Kate Hartman, Izzie Colpitts-Campbell and Erin Lewis
Monarch is a wearable electronic prototype that enables the wearer to amplify or extend body language
Through the use of a muscle activated kinetic textile
By flexing and releasing the bicep muscle
Sensed by an electromyography sensor
The wearer is able to raise and lower wing like textile structures located on the shoulders
As a way to express enthusiams, excitement
Assertion, aggression, mischievousness or even flirtation
This pictorial details the second prototype stage
With a focus on addressing the wearability, technical and production challenges
Resulting from the first prototype
The first prototype of Monarch served as a successful proof of concept
Technology and interaction
However
Like many first wearable prototypes
It was cumbersome to wear, sized to a limited number of people
Laborious to make
Difficult to maintain
And challenging to produce
Going forward we wanted to produce a version of this wearable device that brought it to the next level of polish in terms of
Stability and usability
The second version aims to achieve a high enough production quality so as to further explore our initial speculations
On how body based technology
Can be used
as a form of personal
Expression
How the behaviour of wearable garments can be controlled
by the movement of our bodies
And how wearable technologies can begin to feel like a visceral extension
Of the self
The aim of producing more V2 is as follows
Resolving the wearability challenges
So the wearer is are able to focus on wearing and actuating the device
And experience the resulting social interaction
Rather than be distracted by ellements
Physical discomfort
Resolve technical challenges so the wearers are able to undertake more durational testing
In an everyday environment
Without direct direct observation
And technical
Support
Resolve production challenges
So as to create a robust set of multiples that can be worn by multiple users at once
In a large social context
This pictorial presents recommendations for prototyping processes of small batch wearable electronics prototypes
Produced in a research
Lab context
The goals of Monarch V2 is to address a variety of areas
Of refinement including the servo motor selection
Pleated textile production process
Personal customisation options
Weight distribution strategies
And improved efficiency
Production of
Multiple units
The sections that follow detail the technical development design processes, material choices
Production methods used in Monarch V2
Compared to Monarch V1
The harness provides housing for the circuitry and securely positions the motor and wings
On the wearer's shoulders
The top priority of redesigning the harness was to improve wearability
The specific wearability issues in V1 included discomfort caused by the neck and waist closure
As well as problematic positioning of the
Control panel and the main circuit board
The V2 harness features thinner straps that go under the arms are rather than around the waist
Similar to the style of backpack or holster
The constructed with leather, stretch elastic and buckles
To allow for sizing adjustment
The V2 control panel was relocated to the shoulder for improved reachability
The harness was developed to include a racerback design made with a wet mould leather
So as to create an enclosure for electronic Components
Custom fabric lining secures circuit boards and batteries in place
Laser cut design was developed to include holes
Cutouts for rivers
Openings for the control pannel
The natural vegetable tan leather
Allowed
To Laser cut the material
Adding speed and
Consistency when creating multiples
A detailed lining was designed with channels and park
Stitched to the leather with
A saddle stitch
Monarch's wings are actuated by servo motors
The servo mechanism is a unit that includes the fixturing of the servo to the base
And attachment for the servo arm
The V1 servo mechanism used at total leather enclosure
Preventing easy repairability
In V1 all of the weight was placed directly on the server arm
The servo arm is off-centre within the moving textile
Greatly reducing movement
The V2 servo mechanism has a parametric 3D printed design
And prioritises repairability and precision
It uses a bracket that reduces the weight placed on the arm of the servo
The bracket also makes it possible
To have the moving arm
Be centred in the wing
The V2 servo Mount design also includes the following
A new attachment method
A leather strip affixed
With two rivets
Is used
To attach the mount to the leather base
An arm fixture with bolt retains the wire extension that lifts
The textile wire
A rotation point the secures the servo arm on one side with a freely moving bolt on the other
From V1 to V2 there was a significant shift in material approach of the pleated textile wings
V1 used a two material approach
A denim based textile acted as a hinge and a set of laser cut felt strips in the shape of the negative space
provided structure to the shape
Each felt strip had to be ironed on individually
This process with very labour intensive
And not suitable for making multiples
V2 uses a canvas fabric with digitaly printed
Fold guides
A method of ironing and starching was used to create long lasting pleats
The use of digitally printed fabric
Has the added benefit of allowing each Monarch to be customised by its wearers
Without disrupting
The production process
The development of the V2 circuit focused on the ease of assembly
Long-term stability and overall robustness
Moving from the proto-board to a printed circuit board
Increased the stability of the electrical connections
Reduced the vertical profile of the board
Conventional terminal blocks were replaced with quick-release connectors
Which greatly improved the ease of connecting disconnecting
Removing signal noise due to poor connection
And relieve strain on the wire
The EMG sensor remained the same across versions
But the PCB traces provide a much less noisy connection
In Monarch V1 all of the electronics were housed in a large pocket near the waist
The much more compact design of V2 places all electronics around the upper back area
Each component is designed to be detachable and replaceable
Here is the Monarch in Motion
The goal of Monarch V2 was to produce a robust set of multiples for use in social scenarios
The aim of these physical requirements was to support the prototypes availability for repeated long-term use
We wanted to produce prototypes that could be tested in everyday life as a way to explore and enhance
Or extend the sense of embodiment
Through an augmented or extended bodylanguage
Through our prototyping process we arrived at several recommendations
Which emerged from
Concerns specific to Monarch
But are able to be applied to prototyping processes for other wearable electronics projects
Produced in research lab contexts
Recommendation 1
Integration of digital fabrication processes
Laser cutting, 3D printing, digitally printing fabrics
Can allow for improved precision and reproducibility of a wearable electronics projects
In Monarch V2 this can be seen in the laser cut leather harness
The 3D printed servo mechanism
And digitally printed textiles
Recommendation 2
Hybrid production methods are sometimes essential in order to address where ability priorities
The assembly of Monarch V2 remains a bespoke production
Through our prototyping process we discovered that the feeling of refinement
Comfort
And wearability that comes from the V2 design
Is a direct result of the combination of the use of digital fabrication methods
For the preparation of materials
And the detailed craftsmanship involved in the assembly
Recommendation 3
Modularity of parts both electronic and not can allow for repair, refinement and customization
In the Monarch V2 all the electronic component can be easily connected and disconnected
Using robust connectors
Which supports repair processes
And the use of parts and components
Across multiple units
Similarly the winglike textile structures can be completely detached
And swapped so the weather is able to customise
This overview of Monarch V2 highlights improved material choices
Production methods
Technical developments
Design processes
That resulted in improved wearability
Technical reliability and reproducibility
The documentation of the design and prototyping decisions as well as the resulting recommendations
Are offered as a case study contribution
For other researchers
Aiming to develop small batch production of wearable electronics
Research artefacts
This iterative design process yielded 6 functionally identical units
Of the Monarch V2 design
That are well-equipped for durational testing in the context of daily life
To see the references in detail
Please check our paper
We would like to thank the contributors to our project
For more information about this another projects
Please visit socialbodylab.com