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Using the IGLOO Programmable Board
The IGLOO is a programmable micro controller board created by Kitronik that is designed specifically for e-textiles. It can also be used outside of textiles because of its small footprint and ease of use. These free to download visual help sheets have been produced by Paul Boyd to support the use of the IGLOO.
Click on the images to download the Igloo resource
These resources have been produced by Paul Boyd.
These resources have been produced by Paul Boyd.
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The Sowsense Coat was a runner up for New Zealand in the James Dyson Award 2018 and it’s a great example of the use of programmable control in a functional textiles product. Georgia Fulton who designed the product has several pigs as a child which sparked an interest in issues related to pig farming, one of which is that sows usually flop onto their sides to feed their young, trapping their young underneath them without realising. The Sowsense Coat has pressure sensors that are activated by a tilt sensor in the coat when the sow rolls onto her side and which are coded to recognise the pressure and thermal signs that a piglet is trapped. If a piglet is detected, an ear tag alarm lets out a high-pitched noise startling the sow making her get off the piglet. The noise repeats and intensifies 3 times if the sow doesn’t respond and then an alert is sent to the farmer who can use an app to track, record and predict herd behaviour. Over time the sow learns to associate the alarm with a piglet which trains her to more aware of where her babies are.
Practical activities and ideas are provided as a starting point only. Students should use these as inspiration as part of an iterative design process developing the idea further themselves. Credit should be given to the original source where appropriate.
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