Our project allows two dance partners to learn how to dance on their own, with only the assistance of each other and the wearable interface. Our interface consists of three pressure sensors embedded into the two garments that will be worn by the pair of dancers. When they place their hands correctly on each others’ bodies, they will switch on individual instruments of a predetermined track, so when all hand positions are correct, the complete dance track will play in time with the movement of the dancers.
First we hacked a keyboard and, by trial and error, selected 3 combinations that correspond to 3 letters. In this case, we chose the letters ‘A’, ‘E’, and ‘G’.
Once we determined the correct combinations, we soldered the wires onto the circuitboard.
To create the pressure sensor, we used a soft, spongy fabric sandwiched between two layers of conductive fabric. To complete the circuit, we cut holes in the soft fabric so that the layers of conductive fabric could touch when pressed.
We then soldered wires directly onto the conductive fabric.
We decided to use two jackets, and hand stitched the pressure sensors into the jackets in positions corresponding to where the hands will be placed during the dance.
To finish, we threaded the wires through a small hole in the back of the jackets, and created a small leather case to cover the sensor.
