What if your clothing could change color to complement your skin tone, respond to your racing heartbeat, or connect you with a loved one from afar?

Welcome to the world of shoes that can dynamically shift your height, jackets that display when the next bus is coming, and neckties that can nudge your business partner from across the room. Whether it be for fashion, function, or human connectedness, wearable electronics can be used to design interactive systems that are intimate and engaging.

Make: Wearable Electronics is intended for those with an interest in physical computing who are looking to create interfaces or systems that live on the body. Perfect for makers new to wearable tech, this book introduces you to the tools, materials, and techniques for creating interactive electronic circuits and embedding them in clothing and other things you can wear.

Each chapter features experiments to get you comfortable with the technology and then invites you to build upon that knowledge with your own projects. Fully illustrated with step-by-step instructions and images of amazing creations made by artists and professional designers, this book offers a concrete understanding of electronic circuits and how you can use them to bring your wearable projects from concept to prototype.

About the Author
Kate Hartman is an artist, technologist, and educator whose work spans the fields of physical computing, wearable electronics, and conceptual art. Her work is included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Hartman is based in Toronto at OCAD University where she is the Associate Professor of Wearable and Mobile Technology in the Digital Futures program. Hartman enjoys bicycles, rock climbing, and someday hopes to work in Antarctica.

Chapter 1. Circuits

Circuit Basics
Constructing Circuits
Conclusion

Chapter 2. Conductive Materials
Conventional Conductors
Conductive Thread
Conductive Fabric
Other Conductive Materials
Choosing Conductive Materials
Experiment: Wearable Circuits
What’s Next

Chapter 3. Switches
Understanding Switches
Off-the-Shelf Switches
DIY Switches
Experiment: Social Switches
Conclusion

Chapter 4. E-Textile Toolkits
LilyPad
Flora
Aniomagic
Thinking Beyond

Chapter 5. Making Electronics Wearable
Why Wear It
What Makes Something Wearable
Designing a Wearable
Experiment: Eight-Hour Wearable

Chapter 6. Microcontrollers
Hardware
Software
Hello World
Digital Output
Digital Input
Analog Input
Analog Output
What’s Next

Chapter 7. Sensors
Working with Sensors
Working with Sensor Data
What to Sense
Other Sensors

Chapter 8. Actuators
Light
Sound
Motion
Temperature
Conclusion

Chapter 9. Wireless
Bluetooth
Hello XBees
Other Wireless Options
Thinking Beyond

Appendix Tools
Electronics
Sewing
Documentation

Appendix Batteries
Types of Batteries
Battery Holders and Connectors
Factors to Consider

Appendix Resources
Where to Shop
For Your Bookshelf
For Your Bookmarks
Where to Learn

Appendix Other Neat Things
Materials
Rapid Prototyping Techniques

Appendix Microcontroller Options
LilyPad Sewable Microcontrollers
Adafruit Sewable Microcontrollers
Other Microcontrollers