Electric suspenders: a fabric power bus and data network for wearable digital devices

Abstract

One goal of wearable computing is to create digital devices that are as easy to don and as comfortable to wear as common articles of clothing such as blouses, pants, and belts. New forms of woven materials such as conductive webbings, which incorporate durable electrical conductors directly into the matrix of the weave, offer exciting possibilities for closely integrating digital electronics with conventional clothing. However, many practical obstacles hinder the adoption of these materials, not the least being a lack of reliable electrical connectors for the interconnection of conventional electronics with conductive fabrics. We present a simple and workable design for just such connectors and demonstrate how a commonplace article of clothing-suspenders-can be transformed into an effective power bus and data network for wearable digital devices. Both the power bus and the data network are described in detail, including the mechanics of attachment and an outline of the network protocols. The techniques illustrated can be readily applied to other articles of clothing and accessories.