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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."
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
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.
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
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!
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 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!
The user interface of iPods are very well-designed. It would be a waste and a hassle to bypass the sleek iPod interface and control the iPod through the jacket. Wouldn't it be easier to just take out the iPod and meddle with it?
What if you're skiing/snowboarding, for example, and wearing gloves that make your fingers 2" in diameter (and why can't someone make a pair of gloves that keeps your fingers warm but doesn't make you look like you're wearing those dorky "Hulk Hands" toys?)? In that situation, just unzipping your pocket to remove the iPod can be a challenge...
A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing -- Emo Phillips
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.
I can picture it now... "Why is that man playing with his crotch?" "I'm just typing, honest!"
Sex is like air: you only think about it when you aren't getting any. And it sounds like you are suffocating.
But what if it is shiny or has blue LEDs?
lol: You see no door there!
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
In that situation, just unzipping your pocket to remove the iPod can be a challenge...
I've never had any problems unzipping my "pocket" to get to my "iPod," regardless of weather!
They may have pills for that though.
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....
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Pretty soon, the Hitchhiker's Guide won't just recommend that you carry a towl; It will be your towel!
http://outcampaign.org/