Time Sensing Bracelet

The Time Sensing Bracelet is a fabric potentiometer. You select your desired time of day by making contact in the corresponding position on your wrist - where your watch would normally be.
There is no point to it but fun.

Update: Using some wire wrapped around the central popper to make contact with the resistive ring (circular potentiometer). Unfortunately (though cool too) the Eexonyx fabric is pressure sensitive, thus its resistance varies also on the pressure applied, not only on the position of contact.
Plus, the contact between the wire and Eeonyx is not stable enough. But this is a design issue that can be solved:-)

Video of update that eliminates the conductive finger-cap

Video of Time Sensing Bracelet in action

Video of first prototype

Step 1 Materials and Tools

MATERIALS

• Eeonyx piezo-resistive SL-PA coated fabric RL-4-139-4 from http://www.eeonyx.com

also see http://cnmat.berkeley.edu/resource/eontex_conductive_fabric

• Conductive thread from http://members.shaw.ca/ubik/thread/use.html

also see http://cnmat.berkeley.edu/resource/conductive_thread

• Neoprene from www.sedochemicals.com
• Stretch conductive fabric from http://www.lessemf.com

also see http://cnmat.berkeley.edu/resource/stretch_conductive_fabric

• Fusible interfacing from local fabric store or

also see http://www.shoppellon.com

• Male and female headers from Sparkfun http://www.sparkfun.com/
• Ribbon cable with min. 8 wires
• Solderable Perfboard with copper line pattern from All Electronics http://www.allelectronics.com/
• Arduino USB board from Sparkfun http://www.sparkfun.com/
• Velcro
• Regular thread

TOOLS

• Fabric scissors
• Sewing needle
• Iron
• Soldering station (iron, helping hands, solder)
• Knife for cutting perfboard
• File for filing edges of perfboard
• Wire cutters and strippers
• Pliers

SOFTWARE

• Arduino software free for download from http://www.arduino.cc/
• Processing software free for download from http://processing.org/

Comments

[javajunkie1976]

Could something like this be used to control an ipod?

[getxcrunk]

Maybe, but you would probably have to take apart your ipod and rewire it and all of that complicated stuff that makes my head hurt. 

[Branman]

This is very interesting! If you owned a field where you host airsoft battles you could require the participants to wear a jacket with your idea/invention that is linked back to a computer with an operator ready to call 'Hits'. That way nobody can cheat. The only downside i see is the fact that the slightest bump could make the operator think your hit. maybe you could tweak it. But overall nice!

[Branman]

Just an 'add on' to my last comment: this could actually be used in real war combat. If a team is going for stealth they could use this watch to reveal enemy position without words. (you know like : Enemy, five o'clock)

[vitruvian8807]

They do have microphones that receive and send sounds through your ear bones, eliminating almost any sound necessary to communicate. As for this in combat, it'd had to be wireless, and thus giving out signals. Not very stealthy.

[Branman]

true but maybe if you used ELF (extremely low frequencies) but that can be pick up too so maybe not

[chubs_mckrakn]

I could totally see this being used in conjunction with turn tables. If you look at a lot of the scratch videos on youtube(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja9F63jeGOU&feature=related) there is often a computerized version of the record shown, which is much like the clock in the videos. It is used as a place to gauge where the sounds begin on the fly without having to memorize where they are on the record. It would be awesome if you could come up with something like this.

[megg]

wow, i actually woke up this morning thinking: "i need a fabric potentiometer"* and here it is! you rock! :D

• not being facetious or sarcastic, i really did!

[Dzwiedziu]

Very good as for me. Combine it with your earlier tilt sensor and you're not far away from an input device with scrolling.

[PKM]

The thought that instantly occurs to me looking at this is that it would make a good "tactile watch" for the blind who don't want to use speaking watches (or deaf-blind). You could add a pager motor or other tiny tactile feedback device that vibrates when you touch the part on the ring that corresponds to the current minute- not sure how you'd do hours, perhaps have a "mode" button, or two rings. As it is it's a nice demonstration of concept, but doesn't actually do much.

[Derin]

That's a good idea,but I think there are Braille watches out there.

[Plusea]

I'm not sure that this example would make a good tactile watch, since it is an input device. But i really like your idea of the tactile watch and you've already got me thinking about possible solutions. Thanks

[whyexactly]

if you use this watch as the input to a comparator circuit that compares what you input on the dial with the current time supplied by a regular watch, when they match up, output a pulse that the user could feel on their wrist. maybe add two other touce buttons to select minutes and hours.

[PKM]

if you use this watch as the input to a comparator circuit that compares what you input on the dial with the current time supplied by a regular watch, when they match up, output a pulse that the user could feel on their wrist.

Yep, that's what I meant- it would be like feeling the position of the hands on a regular watch face, when you touch the position of the hand then the pager motor vibrates. I probably didn't make that completely clear in my original reply, though.

Bonus points if you reverse-engineer the headphone mounted controls on the new iPod shuffle so you can use this as controls for it :)

[Plusea]

Yes, funny, this was also an idea i had, after thinking about your initial comment. there could be two resistive rings, one for hours, one for minutes. when the conductive finger-tip makes contact at the actual position of the current time, the bracelet could vibrate to indicate this. one would have to go through this procedure twice to get the exact hour and minute, but on the other hand it can be useful, if the hour is only known, then only the minutes need to be checked. i'm just about to post an update video to show the possibility of eliminating the conductive finger-tip.

[SkaffenAmtiskaw]

Nice thread developing here... I don't like the idea of a motor- solid-state is where it's at! How about instead, put an electrostim (from a TENS circuit) into the fingertip from the conductive dial. This way, the haptics would be right. Almost as good, in fact, as the watches that the blind already use, which simply have a hinged glass so you can feel where the hands are...

[greendude]

You could use one ring and one motor, with two vibrations for minutes and one for hours. Your project looks very interesting I think I might have to finally get some conductive fabric.

[Plusea]

you should get some conductive fabric!

[RaisedByRobots]

This could totally be useful for some sort of 3d full-body interactive video game interface, along with the tilt sensing bracelet and all the other bits you've made. It could be part of the next generation of wii-like interfaces.

[nekoheehee]

even though you say this has no point, I could see it being useful for teaching kids time :) also Its just a neat soft circuit project

[frollard]

Neat and innovative - even if it doesnt have an immediate use - someone will find a use (combination lock on your arm for wearable computer, or bluetooth unlock your cel phone.)

[=SMART=]

Awesome ! i really want to have a go with your instructables :P You could use it to play a game or something :S

[Kanein Encanto]

Dunno if it'd be completely useless... maybe it could be worked to act as a volume controller? Maybe with some software work, a wrist mounted, digital scratch table? (For best results make two braclets? lol)

[cowscankill]

Oh hey! No wander it's great, it's made by Plusea xD I was wondering why it used materials I have seen before...

[SkaffenAmtiskaw]

I've just registered, solely and especially, to say congrats on yet another cracking project! I've worked in this e-textiles field for over a decade now, for universities, teeny tiny and gargantuan companies, and I think your work is easily the equal of or surpasses anything in the commercial world. DARPA are nowhere in comparison (seriously!). Hey you ever need a job... drop me a mail.