Frogr

2009

Type

Wearables prototype

Keywords

wearable, lilypad

Artists and hobbyist using the Lilypad Arduino inevitably run into several problems. The most common problem is, How can I design many projects without having to buy and sew in a new Lilypad for every project?

What the Lilypad is missing is an easy way to add or remove it from a piece of fabric.

Frogr is a system to allow for easy prototyping with, deployment of, and testing with the Lilypad.

To borrow from the Arduino vocabulary, the Frogr is a "shield" for the Lilypad. It is a stiff piece of fabric that the Lilypad is sewn on to. Each pin of the Lilypad is tied to fabric snaps circling the outside of the Frogr.

Snaps are placed on the garment of project using a stencil that ensures proper mating with the garment and Frogr shield. Now, all that's required for each project is a few snaps, and the Lilypad can be used for many projects.

Easily swapping out the Lilypad opens up many possibilities, such as using the Lilypad to record data from many garments throughout the week, or sharing data and behaviours between many garments.

The photos below are of the first Frogr prototypes. Ideally, future versions would not be a shield by a full redesign of the Lilypad to include snaps right on the board.



Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.