Abstraction Fashion: Seeing and Making Network Abstractions and Computational Fashions

Human life today is enmeshed with network organisms. What we value, the ways we talk, and the subject matter we pay attention to are all dependent on and depended upon by the networks that dominate our imagination. The internet, private social platforms, and the virtual and physical supply chains that create the hardware, software, and memetic abstractions with which we think are all examples of network organisms. Each has found a viability mechanism that permits it to survive and thrive in the present moment. Each viability mechanism creates its own unique incentives for self-perpetuation, which drive the outward appearances with which we are familiar. These incentives manifest as product forms, interface abstractions, and socially optimized beliefs and identities. To grapple with what drives the abstractions these network organisms output, this dissertation builds a worldview for seeing and making with computational networks. Computing machines are composed of abstractions, simulate abstractions, and project their abstractions onto the world. Creating in this medium requires resources that can be acquired through attention manipulation and fashion performance. The text culminates in an appendix documenting ewaste club, an art research-creation project that combines wearable cameras, supply chain inspired fashion, and disposable computers. Through a mixture of practical projects, historical analysis, and technical explanation, this dissertation proposes several new concepts linking fashion, the arts, and computation to making in the time of networks

Analysis of failure mechanisms of machine embroidered electrical contacts and solutions for improved reliability

In recent years, a number of research projects and patents have proposed to apply embroidery of conductive yarn to build electric circuits on textile substrates. To contact electronic modules or components to these circuits, embroidery itself was applied as a contacting method. Thereby, the embroidery needle is stitching through a conductive pad on an electronic substrate and is laying the conductive thread over this pad. The yarn and the pad establish an electrical contact. However, until today this contacting technology based on embroidery has not been adopted by the industry since reliability issues during stress were reported by different researchers. Yet, neither these failure phenomena were investigated comprehensively, nor was it attempted to understand their cause. This inhibited potential improvements to make these embroidered contacts reliable. Furthermore, the lack of alternative technologies for a reliable and volume producible contacting of embroidered circuits with electronic components or modules kept embroidered circuits from evolving to actual products. Therefore, this thesis primarily develops an understanding of the contact mechanism underlying embroidered contacts, and develops a theory that explains the failure phenomena. Secondarily the thesis overcomes these reliability issues by improving these contacts and by finding alternatives. The ultimate goal beyond this thesis is a volume producible contacting process. Therefore, this thesis looks mainly at machine embroidered contacts

ME-EM 2018-19 Annual Report

Table of Contents Faculty Research Enrollment & Degrees Department News Graduates Faculty & Staff Alumni Donors Contracts & Grants Patents & Publicationshttps://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/mechanical-annualreports/1000/thumbnail.jp

An Investigation of Craft Practice in the Design of Electronic Textiles (E-Textiles) for Embodied Interaction

An Investigation of Craft Practice in the Design of Electronic Textiles (E-Textiles) for Embodied Interaction This research aims to establish craft practice as an approach to investigating materials and processes that could benefit e-textile design and development. It explores how ‘value’ can arise through innovative material combinations facilitated through collaborative partnerships, dialogue and joint construction. Findings from the portfolio of practical projects suggest that the distinct material qualities that comprise e-textiles have different roles in contributing to multisensory experiences. The convergence of computation, electronics, craft and design is identified as a field of creative practice in the contextual review. The tangible nature of e-textiles facilitates embodied forms of interaction to prompt actions through materials and activate our sensory awareness. Building on the work of Dourish, the research examines embodiment, meaning creation and sense perception for comprehending the nature of experience. It discusses commentators such as McCarthy and Wright to recommend expressions of felt human life as a vehicle for enhanced relations with technology. The methodology generates knowledge through individual and collaborative creative action and adopts craft methods and processes to frame the practice portfolio. Pragmatism influences craft methods to recognise ‘thinking-through-making’ as a means of discovery that can support the ongoing negotiation between intention, action and reflection. The practice portfolio is used as a method of collecting in-depth practical evidence to generate knowledge undertaken through creative engagement. The research contributes a framework with a series of recommendations to advocate a materially led approach to practice interwoven with concerns that engage collaborative, sensorial and aesthetic interaction. Analysis of the findings promotes qualitative outcomes including personalisation, multisensory engagement, and social value, indicating that applications of the framework can support more enriching design contexts that engage technology

Enacting Inquiry Learning in Mathematics through History

International audienceWe explain how history of mathematics can function as a means for enacting inquiry learning activities in mathematics as a scientific subject. It will be discussed how students develop informed conception about i) the epistemology of mathematics, ii) of how mathematicians produce mathematical knowledge, and iii) what kind of questions that drive mathematical research. We give examples from the mathematics education at Roskilde University and we show how (teacher) students from this program are themselves capable of using history to establish inquiry learning environments in mathematics in high school. The realization is argued for in the context of an explicit-reflective framework in the sense of Abd-El-Khalick (2013) and his work in science education

From wearable towards epidermal computing : soft wearable devices for rich interaction on the skin

Human skin provides a large, always available, and easy to access real-estate for interaction. Recent advances in new materials, electronics, and human-computer interaction have led to the emergence of electronic devices that reside directly on the user's skin. These conformal devices, referred to as Epidermal Devices, have mechanical properties compatible with human skin: they are very thin, often thinner than human hair; they elastically deform when the body is moving, and stretch with the user's skin. Firstly, this thesis provides a conceptual understanding of Epidermal Devices in the HCI literature. We compare and contrast them with other technical approaches that enable novel on-skin interactions. Then, through a multi-disciplinary analysis of Epidermal Devices, we identify the design goals and challenges that need to be addressed for advancing this emerging research area in HCI. Following this, our fundamental empirical research investigated how epidermal devices of different rigidity levels affect passive and active tactile perception. Generally, a correlation was found between the device rigidity and tactile sensitivity thresholds as well as roughness discrimination ability. Based on these findings, we derive design recommendations for realizing epidermal devices. Secondly, this thesis contributes novel Epidermal Devices that enable rich on-body interaction. SkinMarks contributes to the fabrication and design of novel Epidermal Devices that are highly skin-conformal and enable touch, squeeze, and bend sensing with co-located visual output. These devices can be deployed on highly challenging body locations, enabling novel interaction techniques and expanding the design space of on-body interaction. Multi-Touch Skin enables high-resolution multi-touch input on the body. We present the first non-rectangular and high-resolution multi-touch sensor overlays for use on skin and introduce a design tool that generates such sensors in custom shapes and sizes. Empirical results from two technical evaluations confirm that the sensor achieves a high signal-to-noise ratio on the body under various grounding conditions and has a high spatial accuracy even when subjected to strong deformations. Thirdly, Epidermal Devices are in contact with the skin, they offer opportunities for sensing rich physiological signals from the body. To leverage this unique property, this thesis presents rapid fabrication and computational design techniques for realizing Multi-Modal Epidermal Devices that can measure multiple physiological signals from the human body. Devices fabricated through these techniques can measure ECG (Electrocardiogram), EMG (Electromyogram), and EDA (Electro-Dermal Activity). We also contribute a computational design and optimization method based on underlying human anatomical models to create optimized device designs that provide an optimal trade-off between physiological signal acquisition capability and device size. The graphical tool allows for easily specifying design preferences and to visually analyze the generated designs in real-time, enabling designer-in-the-loop optimization. Experimental results show high quantitative agreement between the prediction of the optimizer and experimentally collected physiological data. Finally, taking a multi-disciplinary perspective, we outline the roadmap for future research in this area by highlighting the next important steps, opportunities, and challenges. Taken together, this thesis contributes towards a holistic understanding of Epidermal Devices}: it provides an empirical and conceptual understanding as well as technical insights through contributions in DIY (Do-It-Yourself), rapid fabrication, and computational design techniques.Die menschliche Haut bietet eine große, stets verfügbare und leicht zugängliche Fläche für Interaktion. Jüngste Fortschritte in den Bereichen Materialwissenschaft, Elektronik und Mensch-Computer-Interaktion (Human-Computer-Interaction, HCI) [so that you can later use the Englisch abbreviation] haben zur Entwicklung elektronischer Geräte geführt, die sich direkt auf der Haut des Benutzers befinden. Diese sogenannten Epidermisgeräte haben mechanische Eigenschaften, die mit der menschlichen Haut kompatibel sind: Sie sind sehr dünn, oft dünner als ein menschliches Haar; sie verformen sich elastisch, wenn sich der Körper bewegt, und dehnen sich mit der Haut des Benutzers. Diese Thesis bietet, erstens, ein konzeptionelles Verständnis von Epidermisgeräten in der HCI-Literatur. Wir vergleichen sie mit anderen technischen Ansätzen, die neuartige Interaktionen auf der Haut ermöglichen. Dann identifizieren wir durch eine multidisziplinäre Analyse von Epidermisgeräten die Designziele und Herausforderungen, die angegangen werden müssen, um diesen aufstrebenden Forschungsbereich voranzubringen. Im Anschluss daran untersuchten wir in unserer empirischen Grundlagenforschung, wie epidermale Geräte unterschiedlicher Steifigkeit die passive und aktive taktile Wahrnehmung beeinflussen. Im Allgemeinen wurde eine Korrelation zwischen der Steifigkeit des Geräts und den taktilen Empfindlichkeitsschwellen sowie der Fähigkeit zur Rauheitsunterscheidung festgestellt. Basierend auf diesen Ergebnissen leiten wir Designempfehlungen für die Realisierung epidermaler Geräte ab. Zweitens trägt diese Thesis zu neuartigen Epidermisgeräten bei, die eine reichhaltige Interaktion am Körper ermöglichen. SkinMarks trägt zur Herstellung und zum Design neuartiger Epidermisgeräte bei, die hochgradig an die Haut angepasst sind und Berührungs-, Quetsch- und Biegesensoren mit gleichzeitiger visueller Ausgabe ermöglichen. Diese Geräte können an sehr schwierigen Körperstellen eingesetzt werden, ermöglichen neuartige Interaktionstechniken und erweitern den Designraum für die Interaktion am Körper. Multi-Touch Skin ermöglicht hochauflösende Multi-Touch-Eingaben am Körper. Wir präsentieren die ersten nicht-rechteckigen und hochauflösenden Multi-Touch-Sensor-Overlays zur Verwendung auf der Haut und stellen ein Design-Tool vor, das solche Sensoren in benutzerdefinierten Formen und Größen erzeugt. Empirische Ergebnisse aus zwei technischen Evaluierungen bestätigen, dass der Sensor auf dem Körper unter verschiedenen Bedingungen ein hohes Signal-Rausch-Verhältnis erreicht und eine hohe räumliche Auflösung aufweist, selbst wenn er starken Verformungen ausgesetzt ist. Drittens, da Epidermisgeräte in Kontakt mit der Haut stehen, bieten sie die Möglichkeit, reichhaltige physiologische Signale des Körpers zu erfassen. Um diese einzigartige Eigenschaft zu nutzen, werden in dieser Arbeit Techniken zur schnellen Herstellung und zum computergestützten Design von multimodalen Epidermisgeräten vorgestellt, die mehrere physiologische Signale des menschlichen Körpers messen können. Die mit diesen Techniken hergestellten Geräte können EKG (Elektrokardiogramm), EMG (Elektromyogramm) und EDA (elektrodermale Aktivität) messen. Darüber hinaus stellen wir eine computergestützte Design- und Optimierungsmethode vor, die auf den zugrunde liegenden anatomischen Modellen des Menschen basiert, um optimierte Gerätedesigns zu erstellen. Diese Designs bieten einen optimalen Kompromiss zwischen der Fähigkeit zur Erfassung physiologischer Signale und der Größe des Geräts. Das grafische Tool ermöglicht die einfache Festlegung von Designpräferenzen und die visuelle Analyse der generierten Designs in Echtzeit, was eine Optimierung durch den Designer im laufenden Betrieb ermöglicht. Experimentelle Ergebnisse zeigen eine hohe quantitative Übereinstimmung zwischen den Vorhersagen des Optimierers und den experimentell erfassten physiologischen Daten. Schließlich skizzieren wir aus einer multidisziplinären Perspektive einen Fahrplan für zukünftige Forschung in diesem Bereich, indem wir die nächsten wichtigen Schritte, Möglichkeiten und Herausforderungen hervorheben. Insgesamt trägt diese Arbeit zu einem ganzheitlichen Verständnis von Epidermisgeräten bei: Sie liefert ein empirisches und konzeptionelles Verständnis sowie technische Einblicke durch Beiträge zu DIY (Do-It-Yourself), schneller Fertigung und computergestützten Entwurfstechniken

Development of electromagnetic metamaterials and surface acoustic wave transducers on a single device geometry

Ageing population and health challenges associated with it shows us the importance of continuous and remote health monitoring using inexpensive, low-power, sustainable, and simple to use Lab-on-Chip (LoC) devices. LoC systems aim to bring in the whole laboratory process onto a small chip. Although crucial effort has been invested into this field, a marketable product is yet difficult to attain. An important reason is that LoC systems are developed via the integration of different devices and even technologies that are tailored for an individual task. A streamlined integration of these on a single platform is challenging, especially considering complicated fabrication processes. There are two fundamental mechanisms that have important roles in development of a LoC device; i.e. sensing and fluid manipulation. The aim of this thesis is to investigate a new method of bringing biosensing and fluid manipulation capabilities on a single structure that can be integrated in various biosensing platforms. The sensing capability is realised using metamaterial-based electromagnetic split ring resonators (SRR), and the fluid manipulation capability is realised using surface acoustic waves (SAWs). The functionalities are performed on a single structure fabricated on different rigid and flexible substrates. SRR-based sensors have drawn much attention in different fields such as material characterisation, biosensing, strain sensing and remote sensing attributed to their simple design and fabrication, reliability and high quality factor. SRRs are metallic structures that are fabricated on a dielectric substrate and operate at certain resonant frequencies. Their operational frequency depends on their geometry and the effective permittivity of the materials surrounding them. However, these structures are incapable of manipulating fluids. On the other hand, SAW actuators have been extensively studied for their ability in different microfluidic functionalities, namely, streaming, pumping, separation, jetting and nebulisation. SAW actuators consist of Interdigital Transducers (IDTs) that are patterned on a piezoelectric substrate. By applying radio frequency (RF) power to the IDTs travelling surface waves are generated, which is the driver of the microfluidic functions. In this thesis, a general methodology for the integration of sensing and fluid manipulation capabilities in a single device is described based on four different designs introduced as separate chapters, which can be beneficial in LoC applications. These fabricated devices have been employed as wireless sensors in microwave frequency range and utilised as a SAW actuator by applying power in radio frequency range. In addition, a flexible embroidered SRR is also introduced in this thesis that can be utilised in daily items based on fabrics towards continuous monitoring applications