Rethinking Wearable-Tech Projects: The MYOW Project combines Design and Programming of smart wearables all on one Platform!

Wearable DIY kits have been available on the internet and from specific retailers for quite some time now. Although these simplify the challenges of integrating and using electronic components and software to wearables, they only provide domain-specific support. Wearable-Tech projects, however, are usually interdisciplinary and require the competences of experts in design, electronics and software to jointly develop a functional garment.

With this in mind, the MYOW research project was launched in September 2018 with the aim of enabling the development of interactive garments using a combination of design and technology.
On June 24, the winning team of selected designers and developers, which took part in a competition for ideas, presented their newly designed wearable project from the first live test of the MYOW-Platform.

The "Operator Jacket" was able to impressively demonstrate that interdisciplinary collaboration was successful and that the MYOW System and its assisting programming interface can dramatically simplify the work process!

Berlin, 19th August 2021 - The "Make Your Own Wearables" (MYOW) research project aims at bringing together designers, makers, service providers and manufacturers in a digitally enhanced service-space. This has already been developed and provides dedicated services to support the process from designing to creating wearable technologies. These services, which are used, for example, to combine and connect sensors, devices and textiles, can be flexibly combined to form service chains. A Recommender-System will help users to select and combine sensors, actuators, devices and textiles to meet their requirements. The assistance services developed in the project not only control co-production, they also support the expansion of the business model for the service range of the providers and thus enable the emergence of new products as well as the leap from private "DIY making" to the establishment of a company.

This is how the MYOW Web-Portal works:
After registering on the portal, users can create a project for their idea of a wearable product and use a smart Matchmaking-Tool for efficient networking with designers, makers and clients. The initiator of a wearable project can network with other users of the MYOW Web-Portal and thus find the optimal support for the entire creation process.
Using a visual user interface that enables the interactive selection and combination of sensors, actuators and textiles, the team is able to gradually develop the new wearable product. The tool allows input and output elements to be optimally positioned on the garment. In addition, a programming system using visuals allows to define the logical flow that determines which effects the input sensors regarding light, acoustics, position or temperature will have on the optical or acoustic output elements.
The knowledge gained on the MYOW-Platform while developing fitness, leisure or work wearable products can subsequently be transferred into new business models or used as feasibility studies for companies.

MYOW supports the formation of new teams, offering stakeholders the opportunity to join a project or even collaborate on new ideas. For example, a textile designer could support a team by creating the design of the smart garment, a tailor could download the unisex patterns from the website and create garments using them. Finally, a programmer would create the code using the visual programming interface and bring the project to life. MYOW offers every talent the chance to be involved in the smart wearables value chain! In addition, the MYOW platform supports users by allowing them to get help on specific topics at any time through the "Ask an Expert" option.

“It is not only about Technology, nore is it just about good Design - It is about how the two can be combined in order to create a functional Wearable Product, that people will actually enjoy wearing in their everyday life!” - Rolf Fricke, Consortium Leader, Condat AG

On May 17, 2021, a competition for ideas was launched by the MYOW project. Participants had the opportunity to get to know the platform and form new teams through the Matchmaking-Tool. During an online workshop on May 25, 20 users of the Web-Portal presented new project ideas, which could be implemented in a first user test. The MYOW Consortium chose the "Operator Jacket" developed by Simone Syhre, Georgina Koschke, Pauline Stockmann and Katja Jahn as the winning project. The innovative jacket is intended to demonstrate the full range of MYOW Hardware and Software. The jacket is being developed, for example, to help security staff members better manage large crowds with the support of a traffic light system. The colors red and yellow function as signal lights. While red comes on in the event of an emergency along with an audible signal tone, yellow is primarily responsible for making security personnel visible. Another light module is found on the sleeve and serves as a flashlight. A brightness sensor as well as a motion sensor (gyro sensor) are supposed to automate these functions beyond manual operation. The winning team is now developing the Operator Jacket with the support of the MYOW consortium. Follow their progress on our MYOW Instagram account.

MYOW is a project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and supervised by the project management organisation PTKA. The MYOW consortium includes Condat AG, the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), the August-Wilhelm Scheer Institute (AWSi), Stilnest, Freyer & Siegel and Wear It Berlin.

Please visit the MYOW Website for further information: https://www.myow.net/

Contact

Press
Manon Montant, Project Manager
Wear It Berlin GmbH
manon@wearit-berlin.com
+33 7 83 60 63 90

Project Coordinator
Rolf Fricke, Condat AG
rf@condat.de
+49 172 399 1959

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research

Wear It Berlin, Moosdorfstraße 7-9,
12435 Berlin
+49 (0)30 12087925
hi@wearit-berlin.com

We are a passionate team of specialists with the mission to redefine what technology can do for our daily life. Together with our clients we are taking the next steps of wearable technology development in both – products and services.
We are also heavily engaged in several projects on European level and help building a whole new industry with textile, electronics and a start up spirit in mind. We have been pioneers of wearable tech and every day we support companies, institutions and individuals on their way of becoming game changers.

This release was published on openPR.