Xadow

Bits behind the scenes

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Wearable design: Wristband

Xadow is designed for wearable electronics, and a typical application is wristband. My first understanding is that as wearable electronics, Xadow has special requirements for its enclosure: 1st, flexible & bendable as a band; 2nd, prevent damage of pulling force; 3rd, convenient to change PCB and for wearing. To solve the problem of bending, we try fastening PCB onto a soft belt. To avoid PCB & FFC from the damage of pulling force, the material of soft belt need to have a very high elasticity.

The following 3 sketches show the thoughts:

nylon tape + Magic Tape

silicon tape + PVC + buckle

chainable plastic cases

Nylon tape + clips

The soft band in the sketch above is nylon tape. There are magic tapes on the nylon tape and at the back of PCB. Use magic tape and the lower nylon tape to fasten PCB, and use clips to fasten the upper and lower tapes. On the one hand, the simple structure makes it easy to change and assemble PCB; on the other hand, the materials are very common in daily life, and the process is not complicated either. However, the downside is that the upper tape and lower tape couldn’t be synched in bending. Besides, different sizes of PCB make the appearance unsmooth, lack of esthetics. In order to synch the upper and lower bands in bending, we use screws to fasten the bands.

Sketch: Nylon Tape + Screws

Effect drawing- Nylon tape + screws

The pictures above use nylon tapes and screws to fasten the upper & lower tape as well as PCB. However, it still couldn’t synch the upper and lower band in bending. Besides, the large number of screws makes it quite messy. That’s why we stop going in this direction.

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Electronics can be art

Technology is no longer just the "design" as a feature, they began humbly ask for advice to the fashion industry, because they want to put it into a wearable device fashion.

Let wearable devices become fashionable!

Imagine a world where your clothes regulate your body temperature, monitor your vital signs, and your necklace begins to glow when the sun goes down.

-- MAKE FASHION

MAKE FASHION is an annual wearable technology fashion show. It introduced Calgary designers to the exciting world of wearables through a series of informative, hands-on, designer-lead workshops.

As the sponsor of MAKE FASHION 2014, we provided Seeeduion & Xadow series, which are extremely suit for designers and wearable applications.

Make it wearable with Xadow

Tech Tie used the Xadow mainboard and 16 of the OLED screens - it was encased in milled aluminum and showcased a variety of scrolling designs.

credit: Shannon Hoover

These pieces here also used the Xadow components

We had fans that lit up when moved with the accelerometers, and lights programmed by the xadow mainboard, and the umbrella would create patterns with the LED's when they were spun.

more gallery:

https://plus.google.com/photos/+JeffMcDonald/albums/5986247294569111393

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stylewerxproofs/sets/72157641743954245/

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Comment for module you want!

More on developing! * Xadow Epaper * Xadow Memory LCD * Xadow 32U4 (update from previous main board) * Xadow mbed

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#MakeitWearable with #Xadow

How to Join

In support of the Intel Makeit Competition, Seeed Studio is giving away FREE Xadow modules from 3/10 to 4/4 for you to prototype the next big idea in wearable technology. To participate, upload your project idea and outline the Xadow modules needed to any of Seeed Studio’s social channels, tag: #MakeitWearable with #Xadow, and @seeedstudio. You can use flickr, twitter, vine, youtube, instagram, google+, facebook, or email us directly at [email protected]. We will select ten winners each week and post them on our blog! Follow our blog to check if you’ve won!

After the confirmation, the selected winner must create a project page on seeed studio wiki to update the project and implement the idea raised by yourself. We will send out the modules

Here is an Example for you.

Hi: If you are not familiar with Wiki, please tell us and we will write howto for you

What is wearable technology?

Wearable technology (wearables for short) is a device that is worn and controlled by the user to augment knowledge, enhance experience, or improve lifestyle. This industry started to grow when Pebble raised over ten million on Kickstarter, and has continued to gain popularity with Google Glass and rumors for Apple’s iWatch. Currently there are 127 products, with average price $389. Applications of wearables span medical, fitness, gaming, lifestyle, and entertainment areas, and you can learn more about it here

The Intel Competition

If you’re as excited about wearables as we are, you should enter the Intel Makeit Competition! If you win, you will receive help to bring your ideas to the market, and make your imagination a reality. For more information, please see the official website: (link)

What is Xadow?

Xadow is an Arduino compatible board based on the Atmega32U4 chip. It’s extremely thin and small, with a wide range of functional modules. You can also stack and chain the modules together. Xadow is one of the smallest and most unobtrusive chips, ideal for supplying computing power to wearable products. Supplemental modules include: LED, OLED, NFC, BLE, Barometer, Compass, Accelerometer, GPS, RTC, Vibration Motor, Buzzer, Adaptor, Storage, and Breakout Here are some demos for inspiration

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First impression of Xadow is very good! There a lot of parts :) , small – a bit smaller than end of my (man sized) thumb, but all look very well made and ideally suited for wearable items like those the Xinchejian Assistive Devices project is creating.

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Touch Pixel —— an different style of NFC

At first we create a prototyping, with Hardwares below

Seeeduino V3

NFC Shield V2

Grove - Chainable RGB LED

you can enjoy the youtube here:

Youtube Link

The good part of them is a bigger antenna for NFC Shield, isn't it ugly when you communication with the cat with it's tail while the shield beside.

We think of another way: Use Xadow within her itself, cat can work independently!

New Hardwares are:

Xadow Main board

Xadow NFC

Xadow Breakout

Grove - Chainable RGB LED

Youtube Link

All codes are on air, Set up Xadow NFC first!

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Xadow — Great Choice for Open Source Wearables

Xadow Kit is a modular wearable device kit, including the following modules: Xadow Vibrator, Xadow RTC, Xadow Baro Meter, Xadow NFC, Xadow MIC, Xadow OLED, Xadow Baro Meter, Xadow 3-Axial accelerometer and Xadow Main Board.

This series of Xadow products adopt FFC to connect with other modules, making it foldable and bendable. Besides, the sequence of the modules is exchangeable, making it flexible in different applications.

Demo :

Features of Xadow:

Chainable

Strong expandability in functions

Steady operation

Applicable in wearable electronics

Low power consumption

And more …

Xadow provides almost everything for your wearable device dream. Unleash your imagination, and you’ll see infinite possibility of Xadow’s applications.

Interested? Be patient, Xadow still WIP, and keep your eyes for the updates. :)

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New Product Post

Have you heard of our small form-factor Arduino compatible prototyping board, Xadow? If not, now is the time to take a look. It has a lot of distinctive features that separate it from the traditional boards, such as its compact size, which makes it extremely suitable for space sensitive and portable projects such as wearable devices and art projects.

Xadow – Main Board is no larger than a quarter. It is a light-weight board based on the Atmega32U4 chip. It consumes minimal power and runs off of a USB connection or lithium battery. In addition, it can be connected in a series, so you can join multiple modules together and add versatile features to your projects. It uses standard flat flexible cable (FFC) connections which are supple and bendable. FFC connections are perfect for small spaces, such as the inside of your laptop, or wearable applications that rely on resilience and movement.

Currently there are 15 complementary modules which when added to the Xadow – Main Board provide additional functionality, such as display, GPS, etc. Apart from the previous Xadow modules, some new members like the Xadow – Buzzer and the Xadow – GPS join the Xadow family.

The Xadow-GPS has two main components: the receiver module and the antenna. The low power receiver has a Fastrax IT530M chip which allows you to determine position, satellite information, and time. It has a very high tracking sensitivity and can track weak signals, making it a perfect fit for navigation projects. Connect it to the Xadow – Main Board to display and record your data.

Sometimes you need a little more space to store your variables, configuration settings, etc. With the Xadow – Storage module you can now increase your EEPROM storage by 32K bytes in addition to the 1K bytes provided by the Xadow – Main Board.

Combine storage module and GPS module, binggo! You got a GPS logger.

Xadow + Grove = Awesome!

The Xadow – Grove Adaptor expands your project possibilities and connects Grove modules to your Xadow system. The adaptor takes either analog or I2C signals and sends them over your Xadow I2C bus. Now take a look at all of the possible Grove modules that you can use to enhance your project.

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Wearable monitor station all in one hat

A project called Ara, which is a open hardware project is launched to change the hardware like "Android" change the software.

I repost this because Xadow is based on modular design and it's open hardware too. Are you a Xadow Scout?

reference: http://www.dscout.com/ara

[technologycommons]

➛ I’ve always wondered when open-source technology would meet hardware. What I mean is when would or when will hardware be as “open-source” as technology is? I spoke too soon….#ProjectAra is the answer to this dilemma by our good old tech-giant Google! ➛ Google’s initiative entitled...

[thefighteroffoo]

Being the techgeek I tend to be, the idea behind Project Ara is absolutely the perfect thing in my world. The customizable features of a computer, to where you can replace a part fairly easily and upgrade your hardware, put that into a handheld device that you can make all your own. You can make your own 64GB android device with an 18 megapixel camera with 2GB of RAM and just UHHHH hopefully this project continues to flourish.

#ProjectAra #Motorola

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The not so smart Xadow smartwatch

Overview

This is a SO beautiful watch I ever made~ A lot of animation were used. But this is only the prototype edition, I hope you'll like it (Of course I will give a updated version!!)

I cut a lot of features, because there is no more space for me to burn the firmware into the board(32U4).

Now you can check your time and calendar there, a stopwatch is included too~

A NOT-SO-USEFUL flashlight is also there, ignoring the brightness of OLED is not so good.

The original and reference one is: http://blog.zakkemble.co.uk/diy-digital-wristwatch/, Instead of writing the codes in avr-style, I adopt his avr workbench into a arduino solution, so every one can download the codes and upload hex to his own hardware easier!

Functions

First, The not so smart Xadow smart watch is a "Watch"~ I use a RTC module so this won't lose time if it's out of power (Forget the time on the picture, only for testing) There is a beautiful animation when the seconds plus+ ^_^

You can set up the current time~

Click here to enter "stop watch" mode

Click the "right" button, start timer!

Sleep mode help you save battery power!

Materials & Tools

[Xadow main board][8]

[Xadow RTC][9]

[Xadow breakout][10]

Perfboard

Buttons

Notes:

There is no button module on Xadow, so you have to use Xadow breakout and Perfboard, together add three more button presenting left, confirm and right.

Software

I publlihthe code at https://github.com/xhbang/Xadow-digital-watch under GPL license, it's totally free and open! If you are familiar with Arduino, you can make a watch now! Please mod a better looking beyond my design!

Please download and report bugs to me .THX Zak for his initial work!

Handwork

A deeper understanding of Xadow Watch:

A wired jumper you should pay attention to. There are two times within RTC module, but only one of them will be shown on the back of board: INTB. The main logic is: RTC and button will sent INT to MCU, and OLED changes according to the interruption. So connect the INT to the RX on Xadow compatible interface.

To make it simple and wear more comfortable, I cut off a short segment of cowhide.

Just use a little clip, it's on your hand now!

Later plans

In this picture, I add a ultrasonic module to use it as a add-on for this watch~

raise your hand, point to the girl you like. You got the distance between you and her!

OK, this is only an imagination, if you guys think it's a cool idea, I will make a real smart watch including BLE module, adding ID to make it cool & fun & geek.

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Xadow Blinks

Overview

model:momi

Led strips are amazing! Firewalker-led-sneakers by Adafruit inspired me.

I wanna change a way to control it, instead of "pressure-sensitive", I use a accelerometer sensor judging the motion of slipper.

It's simple, I complete this version only calculating the acceleration on "z" axis, weather i'm speed up or slow down. Led will "flow" if I'm moving, and stop as I stop.

Materials & Tools

Xadow main board

Xadow 3-axis

Xadow breakout

W2828 programmable RGB Led Strips(with integrated driver)

shoe and model!

tape

double sided adhesive

There is already a 3.7V lipo battery shipped with Xadow, due to my experience this voltage can light up a short segment of RGB Led strip, if necessary you can calculate the max length it can support based on your specific one. For me, this is a W2818 programmable RGB Led strip with integrated driver.

If you wanna a more "blink" experience, please use an external 5V DC power or make a 5V booster by yourself.

Connect

The logic is:

Xadow main board <- I2C -> Xadow 3-axis <-> Strip

There is already breakout on accelerometer sensor, so you don't have to add "Xadow breakout".

Xadow use FFC between two modules, this 12Pin cable just fix the Xadow compatible interface.

For more info, please checkout wiki http://www.seeedstudio.com/wiki/Xadow_IO_pin_mapping

Some solder works should be done: you have to connect pins to the breakout on Xadow.

Test

Since this is the same as NeoPixel Digital RGB LED by adafruit http://www.adafruit.com/products/1461, if you wanna a quick implementation of beautiful animation with it, I highly recommend the code example by Adafruit http://learn.adafruit.com/firewalker-led-sneakers/test-circuit.

Deploy their library https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_NeoPixel, have a try on "example"

Also deploy https://github.com/reeedstudio/xadow, try the demos related with 3-axis. I made some modification and use it on Xadow.

Software

Make sure you have libraries mentioned before installed.

Final

It's simple, using double-sided adhesive to fix the strip on the slipper~. Since is so small Xadow, you don't need extra sewing works. Just put the Xadow on your feet, sorry for the brutal idea.

Thx our model: momi again

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Xadow on usabledevices

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Assistive projects with Xadow are available now for main hacker spaces in China~ Pleasure to know you.

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Arduino Wearable: highlights from #hackPHX

It's hackPHX again! Last time we provided Shieldbot, and hacks on this open source robot platform were beyond our imagination, click here to see the previous event page :) Prototyping embeddable and wearable designs has become simple thanks to Arduino. This time we provide new Arduino-compatible Xadow platform which brings the size down even further and allows you to mix and match components like Bluetooth Low Energy, motors, lights, accelerometers, GPS, NFC and more to make interactive clothes, props, weapons, costumes, etc. Let's see the winners and hightlights from this hackathon!

Check out the Winners

Morse Code Earrings

It's a little out-of-fashion making wrist band, how about combine Xadow with Jewelry? The Xadow modules are hidden in the necklace and the BLE module converts all ASCII characters sent to Morse code to blink the earrings. It's stylish and fully-functional!

Over 9000

Over 9000 means an power level alarm when your "power level is over 9000", which is detected by ultrasonic sensor on it. It's quite werid function , isn't it? This project was chosen for its reflective technology and sleek headmounted unit(even a human face was painted on to the front side), have you noticed?

Xadow Family

Xadow is a though small but perfectly formed Arduino(TM) compatible board series containing several modules. It's a kit extremely suitable for space-sensitive projects such as wearable devices & arts designs, which have higher request on size, weight and flexible cascade connection. You can find more modules here.

Xadow Family are good choice to make final prototype, it's small and comes with a series of compatible xadow sensor modules. It's open souce so if you want to modifiy to create more advanced board, it's ok. We even provide OPL so you can build your application ASAP and in DFM(Design for manufacturability) way.

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The Xadow Metal Frame goes open source: prepare you own customized wearable devices!

Note: This is not 3D print model, it's for CNC

Side A: Model

The Xadow Metal Frame is a well-made, reliable exoskeleton that protects and provides stability for your Xadow devices. It’s wearable and can withstand running, walking, hiking, or simply staying put. Customize your experience by adding various Xadow sensors. We used to sell it on Seeed Studio, together with the open haredware Xadow. Now this model is open source too!

Features

Rich in metallic texture by using of hard aircraft aluminum alloy

Adopt superb CNC process technology to manufacture

Convenient and flexible wear form with following PUNK style design

Flexible collocation of internal PCB for realizing certain function

Side B: Electronic

Xadow is a though small but perfectly formed Arduino(TM) compatible board series containing several modules. It's a kit extremely suitable for space-sensitive projects such as wearable devices & arts designs, which have higher request on size, weight and flexible cascade connection. You can find more modules here. **Feel Excited and Make on for your self! Howto? Just Downlaod this Xdow Metal Frame Assembly Guide!