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."

Comments

Careful

[daeley]

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. ;)

Exoskeleton interface.

[Sebilrazen]

Pure and simple.

That or DDR is really going to become fanatical

This should be quite interesting

[zappepcs]

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.

Car crushing music

[linuxwrangler]

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?

The Wearable Trackpad

[SeaFox]

So now to drag around very large images on my screen, I stroke myself!

Not good enough

[roman_mir]

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. :)

Extreme pressure?

[wkitchen]

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.

User your imagination

[postbigbang]

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.