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Eleksen Introduces Electro Fabric
DigitalDame2 writes "Eleksen, a small UK-based firm is introducing electronic fabric, essentially carbon-embedded nylon sandwiched between layers of nylon mesh that, when a milliamps charge is passed through it, can recognize touch, pressure and even the direction and path of a stroke. This thin, flexible, and washable fabric connects to a small 8-bit processor, which then can be connected to a standard electronic device like an iPod. Eleksen company executives said the washable fabric can also withstand extreme pressure; they've rolled a car over it without any ill effects."
I hope they're talking about golf or the medical condition.
But will the fabric short out a Tazer, thus enabling people to avoid being disabled by one?
The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
I reckon a lot of "amatour" robots will do one of senses much, much better...
One that hath name thou can not otter
But I didn't accept cookies, or accept to take their stupid survey, so I was forced back to /.
Eleksen company executives said the washable fabric can also withstand extreme pressure; they've rolled a car over it without any ill effects. ...with someone wearing the suit at the time? Mmmm, not so much. ;)
I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.
Sounds interesting, but I'd want to see a few more compelling applications than this.
The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
of tele-sex has just engorged^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H expanded!
Pure and simple.
That or DDR is really going to become fanatical
"There are no facts, only interpretations." --Friedrich Nietzsche.
and go straight to the source
Eleksen is the world's only supplier of integrated fabric switching and sensing
solutions.
http://www.eleksen.com/
If this works out like it seems, the sensation of touch will be a big boon to robotics for hobbyists as well as for NASA and other space going enterprises. Touch is one of those things that makes a REALLY big difference in how robots do things. Simple things like flipping a light switch or tightening a bolt use touch, and make them easily done.
Support NYCountryLawyer RIAA vs People
of course everybody is thinking they can wear their computer input device now, but what about:
your clothing tells people to back off when they're hitting on you (you can turn it off if you'd like)
clothing that reminds you to get off your ass and do something every once in a while (ok, so some of us could just use a timer for that, but others might be able to take advantage of it)
[real application] hospitals could use help in remembering to shift the appendages of some patients, this could do just that.
posture advisor?
theft detection (is the wallet missing, or better yet, is somebody reaching for it?)
I'll leave military apps to somebody else, too many for me right now.
-Tim Louden
As someone who several years ago had to broker a technology merger between an av software package and a porn compnay that provided usb pocket pussies and dicks, that could be controlled by the users to fuck each other while squinting into their webcams. And of course you could always rent Jenna Jameson videos with her scripted fuck vibes that were sent via packets into your device. EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW I can imagine what this will mean for the sticky side of the web.
I have worked with lots of companies. Airlines have given me flights, Sun sent over a little server once, and I even got some cool Tremors the Series T-shirts from Sci-Fi. The only offer I never accepted was the demo pocket pussy. I handed over to the development team. From there who knows.
Puto
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Eleksen company executives said the washable fabric can also withstand extreme pressure
I nominate CmdrTaco, Armands Leimanis (how's the weather?), and lilo from freenode (please donate to his pizza fund) for extensive fat ass testing.
they've rolled a car over it without any ill effects
So what did the I-pod select then? "Under pressure"? Something from the Crash Test Dummies?
~~~~~~~
"You are not remembered for doing what is expected of you." - Atul Chitnis
So now to drag around very large images on my screen, I stroke myself!
Don't know about you, but I want a keyboard built into my pants connected to a tiny linux distro pumping through my video glasses with an retinal reader for a mouse. And maybe I can tie this together to pump images through the flexible screen on my t-shirt, or to program messages into my LED belt buckle.
Add a little munifi, and I'll feel like I'm in a Cory Doctorow novel, if not the fucking Matrix.
Any technology sufficiently integrated with style makes us indistinguishable from gods.
By the way, for those who aren't familiar, heated mattress pads are a lot like electric blankets. But, they can't be hogged by your MOTAS or accidentally untucked (leaving your feet cold) or kicked off. And they seem to do a more thorough job of heating since warm air rises. The wires aren't particularly annoying right now, but if they could be made imperceptible, they'd be virtually the ideal thing.
Article text, for your convenience:
Wearable technology is not a new idea. eVest has been producing wired jackets for years, but we have yet to see technology integrated inside the fabric that makes up the jacket--until now.
Eleksen, a small UK-based firm is introducing electronic fabric, essentially carbon-embedded nylon sandwiched between layers of nylon mesh that, when a milliamps charge is passed through it, can recognize touch (and it's location), pressure and even the direction and path of a stroke. This thin, flexible, durable and washable fabric connects to a small 8-bit processor, which then can be connected to a standard electronic device like an iPod. The iPod, or whatever device you're using, delivers power to processor and fabric.
This is not just a technology demonstration; Eleksen has already integrated the electronic fabric with commercial products including ski-jackets from Spyder and Kenpo. The latter is available in CompUSA and Macy's for around $250. In the jackets, the fiber is embedded in the jacket arm and an electronic fabric tether runs up the sleeve into a breast pocket where the iPod is stored. The iPod is plugged into the microcontroller, which takes the touch information on the jacket arm and interprets it for the iPod. In this incarnation, the controller is programmed to read and mimic iPod control signals, but Eleksen does have an API manufacturers can use to create other device controllers. So smart phone and blue-tooth-based devices are already on the horizon.
Perhaps the most intriguing product we saw was the fabric keyboard that's designed to work with blue-tooth enabled smart phones and PDAs. About as thick as a quarter and attached to a Bluetooth transmitter, the full-size QWERTY keyboard offers printed keys and can be rolled up or squished into a ball and, Eleksen promises, holds up to the 10-million-key-press-test. It's being introduced at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and should list for around $100.
Eleksen company executives said the washable fabric (the controller needs to be detached first) can also withstand extreme pressure; they've rolled a car over it without any ill effects. What's next? Device controls on handbags, briefcases, backpacks and maybe, if the technology is coupled with a flexible display, the first rollable laptop. Stay tuned.
(-(friend^2))^(1/2)
Incoming mod-bombing for having a different viewpoint, 2 o'clock! Heads up!
Well I tried to think of something negative about this, but in all honestly it seems to be just awesome!
The company seems legitimate, and they actually have the product in use in retail products already... And they provide an API for programming the chips yourself.
This sounds so cool, I'm going to try to have to get one of those jackets, or some sample of the system for myself!
Big ones, small ones, some as big as yer 'ead!
Give 'em a twist, a flick o' the wrist...
Eleksen company executives said the washable fabric can also withstand extreme pressure; they've rolled a car over it without any ill effects - this is unacceptable! I am not going to buy any of these products until they can withstand being rolled over by a tank. And what is it with the primitive 8 bit processor? I imagine it doesn't even need a decent fan to cool down. I demand a dual core CPU so that it will keep me warm during those long and cold Canadian winter nights. Since the batteries for such a system would have to be carried in 2 suitcases, while using the CPU at full power, I imagine it might be a good idea to add a propeller-hat with a generator to the entire ensemble. But make the propeller blades bigger, so that noone will think that it is a stupid outfit and won't try to beat us up. :)
You can't handle the truth.
How much will this stuff cost?
Is it a resonable production cost, eg: buying a "smart shirt" for $125, or will your be paying a couple hundred to replace the ipod wheel with a small patch of sensitive fabric...
Electro Fabric is exactly what a superhero's costume should be made of. Someone notify Edna Mode...
""
clothing that reminds you to get off your ass and do something every once in a while (ok, so some of us could just use a timer for that, but others might be able to take advantage of it)
""
Aye, we definately need that... perhaps with some open electrode that actually SHOCKS you if you don't heed the alarm, too... it'd be helpful for those of us who uncontrollably procrastinate!
MoM++ - A Classic Expanded - [Master of Magic 1.5]
http://mompp.sourceforge.net/
I wonder if I can make a DDR mat out of this.
Holy cow, I didn't even think about that... think about the market in "electronic underwear" ...
The naughty industry will never be the same!
MoM++ - A Classic Expanded - [Master of Magic 1.5]
http://mompp.sourceforge.net/
I wonder if this could lead to light weight gloves that could lead to "Minority Report" type control over objects in a GUI and perhaps a keyboard without a keyboard.
Uh huh. What's the pressure in a typical car tires? Usually around 30psi, right? And as it turns out, the air pressure in the tire is about the same as the pressure between the tire surface and the ground it touches. The tire spreads out until it has enough square inches in contact with the ground that the 30psi x the number of i^2 equals the weight of the car. It MUST be that way, because it's impossible for the air in the tire to exert more pressure on the contact region than it does on the rest of the tire, and the rigidity of the sidewalls is not enough to contribute significant support.
So the fabric withstood 30psi. And not supporting that pressure in free air like the tire has to do, but simply squeezed against a supporting surface. "Extreme pressure" my ass.
I beg to differ :)
"After the test Bender complained about having a sore back but company executives attribute it to a ploy for more alcohol... Company executives said the steamroller suffered no complaints either and that she would be happy to do it again. The car was unavailable for comment at the time."
The products that could be made using this are endless to the creative mind!
Pockets that warn you when they've been picked.
Underwear that warns people around you when you fart.
Man, I can hardly wait!
The race isn't always to the swift... but that's the way to bet!
There are people with spinal cord and brain injuries that could really benefit from this. People with trauma recovery with no sensation that don't realize an appendage is bumping into something. It's not quite like having skin with nerve endings, rather it's an early alert that senses something that you either can't, or can't *yet*.
In another way, it's also a way to help people recover from muscular atrophy, sensing leg movements, or arm movements. It can tell you when something's too tight, or incorrectly applied. Think physical therapy, or improving your golf swing, football kick, or reducing RSI.
Although I don't understand its resolution capability, it could also be used for carpet-fabric that could tell people when someone's at the door, or that someone has been in a room, or that the person weighs 100kg, etc.
Use your imagination beyond sex. I find this fairly fascinating.
---- Teach Peace. It's Cheaper Than War.
Not just cybersex.
There is unlimited potential for this. This is great for monitor preasure on a person. This can be used to measure what a person is doing, reproducing motion. This can be used to model ergonomic and analyzing movement.
This can also be used for people who have no sensation in limbs as a warning mechanism.
For cyber sex to work, you need to implement both sides of the equation, force applied to the other side. There is an advantage to cybersex over real sex, ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE.
Fight Spammers!
FYI, the "Slashdotters can't get girls" joke is funnier when it's short and good-natured. You just sound like you're gloating for finally getting someone to let you kiss them.
I hope they've also tried some slightly more scientifically rigourous tests.
Sex is like air: you only think about it when you aren't getting any. And it sounds like you are suffocating.
That's a great description of tire pressure and such -- assuming its accurate, and I have no real reason to think otherwise -- but it hardly completes the picture.
I would also point out, that 30psi can be quite a lot when there are lots of inches squared to deal with. The surface of the tire, lets say 25 square inches in contact with the road -- a 5x5 patch (which I don't know is accurate, but seems reasonable) would produce 750 pounds of pressure on the garment. That makes sense given that four times 750 is 3000 pounds -- heavy for a car, but keep in mind the tire doesn't contact the road unformly anyway. In any case, the patch of tire is uniform enough that the parts of the material absorbing the pressure could not spread out or flatten because the neighboring areas would also be under pressure.
To understand that side of the psi equation, take your laptop to the kitchen table. Get a scale. Put your thumb on the scale and feel what 25 pounds of pressure feels like, then push that hard on the closed laptop screen. Didn't break? Excellent. Now, put it beneath the wheel of your SUV and drive over it. Let me know how that works out.
The problem with quotes on the internet, is that nobody bothers to check their veracity. -- Abraham Lincoln
I'd like to see a TV/DVD/media center remote sewn into the arm of my couch, or something like that so I never lose the %$^@#%^ remotes again!
If you are reading this, then you are one of those people whom I just can't take seriously.
Personally, I've been dying for a way to place the controls to delete my Treo address book or play porn on my iPod, right out there on my jacket. Subway rides will be so much more exciting. I just hope they distribute their security patches in stylish colors with a sewing kit.
I read about electric current being passed through fabric, and was hoping they finally made an invisablity fabric..... (I think I watched too much Batman as a child)...... Still cool though........
In undeveloped countries, the consumer controls the market. In capitalist America, the market controls you.
I hope Eleksen also manages to develop products such as artifical limb down to fingers, feet and toes for handicapped people. I know there are a lot who suffer from a loss.
You seem to be confused about http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure vs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_(physics). I think the original post was probably fairly close to the truth, assuming that the tyre walls aren't supporting much of the load (which, having seen people driving on flat tyres, seems reasonable).
You just sound like you're gloating for finally getting someone to let you kiss them.
Who is to say she let him?
When the tires aren't supporting the weight of the vehicle, we call it a plane.
I remember commercials on TV where they would have "Monster Trucks" drive over a compact disc and then smear it with peanut butter and wash it off and just to show how durable it was stick it in a CD player and have it run without skipping....
Try to tell that to my MC Hammer CD.
Hmm... I can just envision the streets of NY filled with people wandering around all of whom are touching their clothes as if they were giving signals to the pitcher at a major league baseball game....
The next site to slashdot will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and start slashdotting it early!
RESEARCH LEADER: Thank you for bringing him to us, boys. You see, this is not an ordinary towel. He is the RG-400 Smart Towel, designed with a computer chip inside the terry cloth STAN: We don't care. RESEARCH LEADER: You see, here at Tynacorp, our goal was to make the perfect towel. A towel that would sense how wet or dry the user's skin was and fluff itself accordingly. STAN: Dude, we don't care. RESEARCH LEADER: Towelie was our greatest success. Smart enough to beat the average human at chess and absorbent enough to soak up even the toughest spills. But then one day, Towelie got high and just sort of wandered off. STAN: We... don't... care.
There are two obvious ways that weight can be transferred from the wheel to the ground - directly through the crush strength of the tyre walls, and indirectly through pressure transfer to the inner surface and upper surfaces then through tension to the wheel.
p.s. haha.
Yes, but will it reveal Charlize Theron's nipples?
Intelligent Design: because MATH is HARD.
Your post indicates you've got some kind of *REAL* disease. Stop kissing your relatives :)
I dunno...when they say "rolled a car over it", I imagine severe damage to the car, but that may simply be my perspective on what it means to roll a car. ;-)
-Benjamin Vander Jagt (on Dillo, no less...then again, what's less than Dillo? hmm, I guess 'less' is.)
Pretty soon, the Hitchhiker's Guide won't just recommend that you carry a towl; It will be your towel!
http://outcampaign.org/
New and Improved!
Your Plastic Companion will now be able to either give commands where to be caressed or give response based on location/style.
For your Aibo of course. What? thinking of some other product?
You know, the ones that are always 'months' away from the marketplace, and you could make roll-up phones, mp3 players, etc. Also, useful for trackpads, music synthesizer controllers, gamepads, electronic bongos, self-adjusting chairs, scales, variable geometry hang-gliders, and digital hammocks.
--- Yx3 = Delilah ---
Compelling applications? Sounds to me like this could be used to make sythetic skin for prothetics and such. And with the artificial neruon they were talking about a while back, you could hook it up to the old nerves that used to go down the arm, and potentially make it feel like you had a real arm again.
Facinating stuff.
Victory or awesome!
It's not really obvious why they chose to make ski-gear with this material.
A more obvious/functional choice would be to modify electric fencing jackets to make use of this material.
I guess skiing is more popular than fencing...
The weight of the car is spread over a large enough area that the PSI isn't destructively high.
The real test - can it survive being stepped on by a person wearing high-heels or golf shoes?
I can think of a few other potentials, like the fabric of a chair sensing where the pressure points are and adjusting itself accordingly. I could see combining such a pressure-sense technology with a body-height cabinet for taking full-body measurements for custom clothing manufacture, and even more mundane uses like a more accurate "touch" scoring system for medieval recreationists.
For general robotics systems I can see more safety uses than practical -- wrap the limbs of the robot in this stuff so it can detect a collision that is out of it's field of view. (You just know that if we ever have household robots the kids are gonna climb on the things and one of the kids will end up hurt because the robot didn't see them.)
I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
This is the skin of the T-600.
The 600 series had rubber skin
[with electro-fabric]. We spotted
them easy. But these [T-800s]
are new. They look human.
Sweat, bad breath, everything.
Very hard to spot. I had to
wait 'til he moved on you before
I could zero him.
In all seriousness, this *could* be a skin for robots.
Software Wars
But see....the article referenced "pressure", and 30PSI is pressure. Now, that doesn't sound like a bunch, but I would agree that putting my hand under 30PSI would be unpleasant. There are definately things that exhibit much higher pressure.
Now, if you can imagine though, you can have high weights, supported by low pressure. All of which will not be unpleasant to experience. Think hovercrafts. They can go over landmines without setting them off. Shitload of weight (have you seen the LCAT?), but very, very, low pressure.
Well, electricity follows the path of least resistance and all that. So assuming that an entire shirt was lined with this stuff, not just a patch somewhere, it would probably help. How much it helped would depend on the type of tazer (contact or wire probe) and the conductivity of this material compared to human flesh.
On the other hand I would wonder how much this stuff heats up when you put a serious current through it. Enough to burn you, or just to burn itself out? (hope it's not too flammable...)
-Fluffy-
IANA-Electrical Engineer, YMMV, et cetera ad nausium
Praps you know your maths, but I don't think you are a mechanic! :)
I've had dozens of idiots drive over my feet. 30 psi seems about right... although I've broken every bone in both feet at one time or another, I've never even gotten a cracked toenail from having a car drive over one.
A bigass Lincoln with intact 36 psi tires won't even crack the instep of a mechanic wearing cheap non-steel-toe work boots. HOWEVER, a car running on rims (that is, with a tire that is totally unpressurized) will squinch your toes right off - and if you have on steel toes, you can get your amputated toes packaged right up into a nice little crimped steel box.
Crush strength of normal tire sidewalls is negligible by design. Tire makers work very hard to maximize the ability of the sidewall to hold air and resist icepicks while decreasing rolling resistance of the tire as a whole - the "traveling bulge" gets you better gas mileage.
Sorry, but what I said agrees exactly with what you've said. Can you explain why you think differently?
:)
(I said:)
"I think the original post was probably fairly close to the truth, assuming that the tyre walls aren't supporting much of the load (which, having seen people driving on flat tyres, seems reasonable)."
which lines up fairly well with your remark that "Crush strength of normal tire sidewalls is negligible by design. ", does it not?
I like your description of prepackaged toes
They should have let an elementary school kid wear the clothes for a day. I have seen them destroy a new pair of pants in one day.
Fair enough - and you're right. But step back and see how the article proclaims being able to drive over this fabric without harming it. Since the fabric is an input device, lets compare it with those. Can you drive over you mouse? How about your keyboard? Game controller? Microphone?
See my point?
The problem with quotes on the internet, is that nobody bothers to check their veracity. -- Abraham Lincoln