An Interactive Storybook

Intention

Write about the big ideas behind your project? What are the goals? Why did you make it? What are your motivations?

The big idea behind my project is to use electronic textiles in an interactive medium for both kids and adults. As a person who loves to make books and create stories, I wanted to incorporate electronic textiles in a new way. I thought of illustrating a story by incorporating Gemma controllers, wires, and LEDs, just like we did on our first day of class. My motivation for this was to make a book using new media that I was unfamiliar with and that I could explore, in order to make a typical paper storybook into something more interesting and exciting for all audiences.

Process and/or Research

Outline your approach to the project? What ideas did you generate and how did you refine or reject them? What did you research and explore? What methods or techniques did you use? What tools and technologies were involved?What challenges were encountered and how did you resolve them?

I first needed to think of what kind of book I will be making, and I jumped to an illustrative children's book. Although the book will only be 2 pages, it will tell a story about an astronaut kid exploring space.  I will be using the methods and techniques that we learned in the first day of class, which includes soldering and connecting wires to the gemma controller. 

I needed to think about how I will include the somewhat awkward and bulky materials into the storybook (the battery pack, wires, Gemma controllers, and copper paper.) I wanted to include them in a fun and creative manner that diminishes their awkwardness, so I thought of making holders for the battery packs on the binding outside edge of the hardcover book. I wanted to incorporate the gemma controllers, wires, and LEDs in the illustrative pages themselves. So I thought of creating copper paper in the shape of planets, and the viewer can connect the wire from the gemma controller to the planet to turn the light on and off. The lights themselves will embody important characters or subjects, such as a glowing alien or a rocket. In order to cover up messy gemma controllers or wires, I can also envelop or overlap them with soft fabrics and wool on top (making hills, or adding stars), adding another dimension to the landscape. This will give the pages a slight pop-up 3D effect also. 

Product

Detail what you created.  Include images, code or video.

I will create a storybook that utilizes gemma controllers, battery packs, wires, and LEDs in an interactive and illustrative fashion. I will use sewing to connect different types of fabrics together to add to the story in the book (wool, linen, patterned fabric and cloth, strings). This will be a multimedia project using both textiles and electronics that creates a story in an innovative manner different from typical storybooks. 

Reflection

Reflect on the process of making this project. What did you learn? What would you do differently?

Electronics and batteries tend to be heavy and bulk, and when combined with flat fabrics and textiles, the combination tends to be awkward and inconvenient. However, I learned to think about the ways that I can incorporate the two in a cleaner fashion. I wanted to weave this equipment into the story itself and layer unwanted things with decorative fabric on top. What I would do differently is finding different ways that I can add on more pages to complete the story. Currently, I was only able to plan a page of the storybook when it opens, but I want to be able to create a full story with multiple pages that a reader can flip through without finding it difficult and awkward from the electronics. 

Sample Book

Day 1: Gemma microcontroller + LED on copper fabric

Day 2: Electroluminescent wire

Day 3: Muscle wire on fabric