SeamSleeve: Robust Arm Movement Sensing through Powered Stitching

Despite signifcant advances in interactive clothing over the past decade, e-textiles lack traditional fabric robustness and comfort. SeamSleeve provides a method for using garment seams as sensing channels while retaining the benefts of regular clothing design. We power conductive seams at low voltages to stitch together everyday fabric panels, resulting in a novel sensing mechanism capable of detecting arm movements. Our frst empirical study (n=10) identifes optimal seam design and placement on the sleeve, by comparing traditional seam forms in the context of sensing capabilities. A second study (n=14) demonstrates that our minimal sensing approach is capable of successfully classifying 8 arm exercises with an accuracy of 84%. Our fndings support the efectiveness of the approach in areas such as longitudinal physiotherapeutic rehabilitation beyond the clinic, enabling everyday motion capture.