skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: Embr: A Creative Framework for Hand Embroidered Liquid Crystal Textile Displays
Conductive thread is a common material in e-textile toolkits that allows practitioners to create connections between electronic components sewn on fabric. When powered, conductive threads are used as resistive heaters to activate thermochromic dyes or pigments on textiles to create interactive, aesthetic, and ambient textile displays. In this work, we introduce Embr, a creative framework for supporting hand-embroidered liquid crystal textile displays (LCTDs). This framework includes a characterization of conductive embroidery stitches, an expanded repertoire of thermal formgiving techniques, and a thread modeling tool used to simulate mechanical, thermal, and electrical behaviors of LCTDs. Through exemplar artifacts, we annotate a morphological design space of LCTDs and discuss the tensions and opportunities of satisfying the wider range of electrical, craft, cultural, aesthetic, and functional concerns inherent to e-textile practices.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2105054
PAR ID:
10327307
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Page Range / eLocation ID:
1 to 14
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. null (Ed.)
    E-textiles, which embed circuitry into textile fabrics, blend art and creative expression with engineering, making it a popular choice for STEAM classrooms [6, 12]. Currently, e-textile development relies on tools intended for traditional embedded systems, which utilize printed circuit boards and insulated wires. These tools do not translate well to e-textiles, which utilize fabric and uninsulated conductive thread. This mismatch of tools and materials can lead to an overly complicated development process for novices. In particular, rapid prototyping tools for traditional embedded systems are poorly matched for e-textile prototyping. This paper presents the ThreadBoard, a tool that supports rapid prototyping of e-textile circuits. With rapid prototyping, students can test circuit designs and identify circuitry errors prior to their sewn project. We present the design process used to iteratively create the ThreadBoard’s layout, with the goal of improving its usability for e-textile creators. 
    more » « less
  2. The e-textile landscape has enabled creators to combine textile materiality with electronic capability. However, the tools that e-textile creators use have been adapted from traditional textile or hardware tools. This puts creators at a disadvantage, as e-textile projects present new and unique challenges that currently can only be addressed using a non-specialized toolset. This paper introduces the first iteration of a wearable e-textile debugging tool to assist novice engineers in problem solving e-textile circuitry errors. These errors are often only detected after the project is fully built and are resolved only by disassembling the circuit. Our tool actively monitors the continuity of the conductive thread as the user stitches, which enables the user to identify and correct circuitry errors as they create their project. 
    more » « less
  3. The ability to control one's personal microclimate allows for customized comfort, reduced energy expenditure, and better human performance. Here we present the design of a multi-zone user-controllable heated jacket. The garment uses a multi-layer textile approach to provide e-textile heating and thermal insulation. Heating zones are controlled by the user through a sleeve-mounted multi-sensor e-textile interface. A custom textile-integrated 3D printed strain-relief support protects the interface and provides a counter-force for manual interaction. The garment is designed for everyday wearability in a physical and aesthetic form intended to blend in with everyday clothing. 
    more » « less
  4. Abstract Electronic textiles (e‐textiles) that combine the wearing comfort of textiles and the functionality of soft electronics are highly demanded in wearable applications. However, fabricating robust high‐performance stretchable e‐textiles with good abrasion resistance and high‐resolution aesthetic patterns for high‐throughput manufacturing and practical applications remains challenging. Herein, the authors report a new multifunctional e‐textile fabricated via screen printing of the water‐based silver fractal dendrites conductive ink. The as‐fabricated e‐textiles spray‐coated with the invisible waterproofing agent exhibit superior flexibility, water resistance, wearing comfort, air permeability, and abrasion resistance, achieving a low sheet resistance of 0.088 Ω sq−1, high stretchability of up to 154%, and excellent dynamic stability for over 1000 cyclic testing (ε = 100%). The printed e‐textiles can be explored as strain sensors and ultralow voltage‐driven Joule heaters driven for personalized thermal management. They finally demonstrate an integrated aesthetic smart clothing made of their multifunctional e‐textiles for human motion detection and body‐temperature management. The printed e‐textiles provide new opportunities for developing novel wearable electronics and smart clothing for future commercial applications. 
    more » « less
  5. Researchers support race, gender, and age diverse groups of people to create with maker electronics. These groups include older adults, who are often overlooked as not interested or capable of learning new technologies due to ageist stereotypes. One approach, often involving e-textiles, leverages crafting as a bridge to broaden participation in making. We investigated ways to broaden participation in maker electronics for older adults by remotely co-designing e-textile projects with 6 older adult crafters over the course of 5 workshop sessions for a total of 45 hours. We developed a deeper understanding of their practices, identifying a Planner-Improviser Spectrum for how they approached their craft, and created medium fdelity prototypes. Our design implications draw on our participants’ crafting experience and their experience in the workshop to highlight what e-textile toolkit designers can learn from skilled older adult crafters, such as selecting familiar materials, supporting aesthetic goals, and making electronics more attainable. 
    more » « less