Creating Wearables with Arduino and Raspberry Pi

Wearables are on an uptrend. It is now relatively simple to use LEDs, microcontrollers, and other electronic components to push conventional clothing into the 21st century. This book explains all the basic techniques you need to get started making your own creative designs. It is ideal for hobby tailors, designers, and technicians, whether you are just starting out or already have experience making smart fashion.

René Bohne and Lina Wassong describe the history of wearables and explain what’s on the market today. They also introduce some of the faces behind this exciting trend.

Bohne and Wassong take you through the basics of electrical circuits and sewing with conductive thread, and explain how to use other components such as textile switches, connectors, and conductive Velcro. There is also a section on custom Arduino microcontrollers for wearables that you can use without additional coding.

For experienced users, the authors detail a project that uses a LilyPad controller to construct a scarf with a built-in MP3 player, and explain how to use Wi-Fi to connect wearables to the internet. To finish up, they provide instructions for making a necktie with built-in Raspberry Pi—a sure sign that the wearables story has only just begun.

Smart fashion topics covered in this book include:

• Ideas for beginners and experienced artists, programmers, and clothing makers
• Simple-to-follow instructions with usable, real-world results
• How to use insulated circuits and conductive textiles
• How to construct textile switches
• Ideas for e-fashion designers
• Arduino projects, such as a music loop scarf with a built-in MP3 player
• DIY wearables based on Raspberry Pi 3 and Raspberry Pi Zero