A space for folks to learn and explore wearable electronics together.
Purpose
This site was created in the wake of Maker Media shutting down. I was in the middle of an online wearable electronics class being run by them when the shut-down happened. I am hoping to continue the conversations with other students here, and help anyone else looking for up-to-date wearable info. Much of the information online about wearables is out-of-date with many dead links or referencing products that are obsolete or no longer exist. Hopefully I can help remedy that, at least a little.
Resources
Supplies
- Adafruit
- Amazon (though it's a bit hit and miss; they don't stock everything)
- Digi-Key (probably the most comprehensive resource)
- eBay
- SparkFun
Tutorials and Classes
- Adafruit's Tutorials
- Instructables Wearable Electronics Class (uses LilyPad)
- Kobakant DIY Wearable Technology Documentation (materials, techniques, example projects, loads of info)
- MakeCode's Circuit Playground Express Class
- SparkFun's Tutorials, including Planning a Wearable Electronics Project
Books
Many of these are available in electronic formats pretty cheaply in various places. HumbleBundle has offered many of them in the past in e-book bundles; many of them I've seen come up multiple times, such as the Make books, so you might want to keep a look-out. I've had good luck finding many of the older books in libraries/via inter-library loan. And if you're lucky enough to be affiliated with a university, you may have luck finding some of them through your library's online subscriptions. I've listed the books in reverse chronological order by publication date, so the most recent info comes first. The older books are still great resources, particularly for things like DIYing sensors, construction techniques, etc., but they won't be using the most recently developed boards.
- Wearable Tech Projects by Sophy Wong, 2019 (free download!)
- Getting Started with Adafruit Circuit Playground Express by Mike Barela, 2018
- Make It, Wear It: Wearable Electronics for Makers, Crafters, and Cosplayers by Sahrye Cohen and Hal Rodriguez, 2018
- Make: Fabric and Fiber Inventions by Make: Fabric and Fiber Inventions, 2017 (only 1 chapter is on wearable electronics, but it has some neat ideas on materials, creating sensors, etc.; much of the info in that chapter came from this website, though the book formats and presents it nicely)
- Practical Fashion Tech: Wearable Technologies for Costuming, Cosplay, and Everyday by Joan Horvath, Lyn Hoge, and Rich Cameron, 2016
- Make: Getting Started with Adafruit FLORA by Becky Stern and Tyler Cooper, 2015
- Arduino Wearable Projects by Tony Olsson, 2015
- The Book of Cosplay Lights – Getting Started with LEDs by Svetlana Quindt, 2015 (no microcontroller)
- Advanced Cosplay Lights – Animated LEDs by Svetlana Quindt (Arduino)
- The New Shop Class: Getting Started with 3D Printing, Arduino, and Wearable Tech by Joan Horvath and Rich Cameron, 2015 (Arduino)
- Make: Getting Started with Adafruit Trinket by Mike Barela, 2014
- Make: Wearable Electronics by Kate Hartman, 2014 (LilyPad)
- Sew Electric by Leah Buechley and Kanjun Qiu, 2014 (LilyPad)
- Soft Circuits : Crafting e-Fashion with DIY Electronics by Kylie Peppler, Melissa Gresalfi, Katie Salen Tekinbas, and Rafi Santo, 2014
- Arduino Wearables (Technology in Action) by Tony Olsson, 2012
- Open Softwear by Tony Olsson, David Gaetano, Samson, Wiklund, Jonas Odhner, 2011 (Arduino, free download! Just click on the Open Softwear link in the first paragraph)
- Fashioning Technology: A DIY Intro to Smart Crafting by Syuzi Pakhchyan, 2008
Other Search Terms
In compiling this list I've done a lot of searching on Google, Amazon, and in library databases. The most commonly used term I've seen is definitely "wearable electronics", hence the name of the page. However, "e-textiles" or "e-sewing" also comes up occasionally, as does the term "soft circuits". If you're trying to find more information, I suggest trying variations of these search terms, as some results will be excluded if you only try one.