Modular Wearable Soft Circuit for Affective State Conveyance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Individuals with disabilities, such as vision or hearing impairments, and those with Autism Spectrum Disorder, face challenges in identifying, interpreting, and reacting to their own and others' affective states due to difficulties in receiving emotional cues, which can impact their mental and physical well-being and social interactions.
Innovation Solution
A wearable device with a modular, soft-circuit-based design that includes a master soft circuit cell and actuation soft circuit cells, interconnected to form a garment, which wirelessly receives instructions to generate sensory actuations (e.g., vibrations, heat, audio, lighting) to convey affective states to the user, enhancing emotional awareness and management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional emotional cue delivery methods (visual, auditory) are used, then emotional information can be conveyed to able-bodied individuals, but these methods are ineffective for individuals with vision or hearing impairments or Autism Spectrum Disorder
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces tactile actuators as an intermediary medium to translate emotional cues into physical sensations. Instead of directly delivering visual or auditory cues that fail to reach individuals with sensory impairments, the system uses tactile feedback through clothing actuators as a mediating channel that can be perceived through touch, which remains functional across all disability types.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces conventional sensory delivery mechanisms (visual displays, auditory speakers) with a mechanical/tactile delivery system. The emotional cues are transformed from electromagnetic signals (light, sound) into mechanical vibrations and physical sensations through tactile actuators embedded in the clothing, substituting one sensory modality for another more universally accessible one.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple actuation methods (vibration, heat, audio, lighting) are integrated into the wearable device, then the device can convey affective states through multiple senses, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the wearable device into modular actuation cells, each responsible for a specific sensory modality (vibration, heat, audio, lighting). These segmented modules can be independently controlled and activated based on the type of affective state that needs to be conveyed, allowing versatility while managing complexity through modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically selects and activates only the necessary actuation modes based on the current emotional context and user needs. Rather than all actuators operating simultaneously or being permanently active, the control system dynamically enables or disables specific actuation cells based on the affective state being conveyed, reducing effective complexity during operation.
3Reliability
If the wearable device provides comprehensive emotional awareness and management features, then mental and physical health benefits are enhanced, but the cost and accessibility barriers increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the wearable device with multi-functional actuation cells that can serve multiple purposes. The same tactile actuators used for conveying emotional cues can also provide haptic feedback for other applications, and the modular design allows the same hardware platform to serve different user groups (individuals with disabilities, able-bodied individuals, various age groups), spreading development and manufacturing costs across a broader application base.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The wearable device provides a cost-effective, accessible, and discreet means to enhance emotional awareness and management for individuals with disabilities, promoting better mental and physical health by mitigating negative affective states and reinforcing positive ones, while being suitable for various disabilities and age groups.
Implementation Method 1
The cell 103 may include a piezoelectric actuator that vibrates when activated by the master cell 102
Implementation Method 2
The cell 103 may include a heating element that warms the user when activated by the master cell 102
Implementation Method 3
The cell 103 may include a cooling element that cools the user when activated by the master cell 102
Data Source
AI summary
A wearable device conveys information to a user. The device includes a master soft circuit cell and a plurality of actuation soft circuit cells. These cells are physically interconnected to form a garment that is worn by a user and each of these cells includes an electrically non-conductive fabric covering. Each of the actuation cells is electrically connected to and operates under the control of the master cell. The master cell is configured to wirelessly receive actuation instructions and activate a combination of the actuation cells based on the received actuation instructions. Each of the actuation cells is configured to generate a particular actuation that is perceived by one or more senses of the user whenever the actuation cell is activated by the master cell. A system also conveys affective state information to a user.