Designing i*CATch: A multipurpose, education-friendly construction kit for physical and wearable computing

This article presents the design and development of i*CATch, a construction kit for physical and wearable computing that was designed to be scalable, plug-and-play, and to provide support for iterative and exploratory learning. It consists of a standardized construction interface that can be adapted for a wide range of soft textiles or electronic boards, a set of functional components, and an easy-to-use hybrid text-graphical integrated development environment. The objective was to design an easily usable, manufacturable and extensible construction kit that can be used in a wide range of teaching tasks for a wide variety of student demographic profiles. We present detailed specifications of our construction kit and explain some of the major design decisions. Experiences in using the kit in multiple teaching environments, ranging from elementary school to postgraduate, demonstrate that the design objectives have been achieved.

[1]  Mitchel Resnick,et al.  Scratch: A Sneak Preview , 2004 .

[2]  KlassnerFrank.  A case study of LEGO Mindstorms' suitability for artificial intelligence and robotics courses at the college level , 2002 .

[3]  Paul Lukowicz,et al.  PadNET: wearable physical activity detection network , 2003, Seventh IEEE International Symposium on Wearable Computers, 2003. Proceedings..

[4]  Stephen Chi-fai Chan,et al.  i*CATch: a scalable plug-n-play wearable computing framework for novices and children , 2010, CHI.

[5]  Saul Greenberg,et al.  Phidgets: easy development of physical interfaces through physical widgets , 2001, UIST '01.

[6]  S. Cass.  Tools & Toys: Getting Vexed , 2006 .

[7]  Tommy Burnette,et al.  Alice: lessons learned from building a 3D system for novices , 2000, CHI.

[8]  Emily B. Cooper,et al.  Fabric computing interfaces , 1998, CHI Conference Summary.

[9]  Merredith D. Portsmore.  ROBOLAB Intuitive robotic programming software to support lifelong learning , 1999 .

[10]  Frank Klassner,et al.  A case study of LEGO Mindstorms'#8482; suitability for artificial intelligence and robotics courses at the college level , 2002, SIGCSE '02.

[11]  Leah Buechley,et al.  LilyPad in the wild: how hardware's long tail is supporting new engineering and design communities , 2010, Conference on Designing Interactive Systems.

[12]  Michael Eisenberg,et al.  Fabric PCBs, electronic sequins, and socket buttons: techniques for e-textile craft , 2009, Personal and Ubiquitous Computing.

[13]  Kenneth Mackenzie,et al.  The wearable motherboard: a framework for personalized mobile information processing (PMIP) , 2002, DAC '02.

[14]  Stephen Chi-fai Chan,et al.  The TeeBoard: an education-friendly construction platform for e-textiles and wearable computing , 2009, CHI.

[15]  V. Michael Bove,et al.  bYOB [Build Your Own Bag]: a computationally-enhanced modular textile system , 2004, MUM '04.

[16]  Albrecht Schmidt,et al.  Pin&Play: Networking Objects through Pins , 2002, UbiComp.

[17]  Neil Gershenfeld,et al.  E-broidery: Design and fabrication of textile-based computing , 2000, IBM Syst. J..

[18]  Heidi Schelhowe,et al.  EduWear: smart textiles as ways of relating computing technology to everyday life , 2009, IDC.

[19]  Saul Greenberg,et al.  Toolkits and interface creativity , 2007, Multimedia Tools and Applications.

[20]  Joel C. Adams,et al.  What do students learn about programming from game, music video, and storytelling projects? , 2012, SIGCSE '12.

[21]  Pamela B. Lawhead,et al.  A road map for teaching introductory programming using LEGO© mindstorms robots , 2002, ITiCSE-WGR '02.

[22]  Leah Buechley,et al.  The LilyPad Arduino: using computational textiles to investigate engagement, aesthetics, and diversity in computer science education , 2008, CHI.

[23]  Philip J Cowen,et al.  Constructionism , 2011, BMJ : British Medical Journal.

[24]  Mitchel Resnick,et al.  New Pathways into Robotics: Strategies for Broadening Participation , 2008 .

[25]  Stephen Chi-fai Chan,et al.  Filling the gap in programming instruction: a text-enhanced graphical programming environment for junior high students , 2009, SIGCSE '09.

[26]  Michael Goldweber,et al.  A road map for teaching introductory programming using LEGOcopyright mindstorms robots. , 2003 .

[27]  Joshua Weaver.  A wearable health monitor to aid Parkinson disease treatment , 2003 .

[28]  Mitchel Resnick,et al.  Some reflections on designing construction kits for kids , 2005, IDC '05.

[29]  Brad A. Myers,et al.  Past, Present and Future of User Interface Software Tools , 2000, TCHI.

[30]  Chris Rogers,et al.  Physics With Robotics - Using LEGO MINDSTORMS In High School Education , 2010, AAAI Spring Symposium: Educational Robotics and Beyond.

[31]  Joanna Berzowska,et al.  Electronic Textiles: Wearable Computers, Reactive Fashion, and Soft Computation , 2005 .

[32]  Robert E. Kraut,et al.  Social capital on facebook: differentiating uses and users , 2011, CHI.

[33]  Mark T. Jones,et al.  e-TAGs: e-Textile Attached Gadgets , 2004 .

[34]  Michael M. Gorlick.  Electric suspenders: a fabric power bus and data network for wearable digital devices , 1999, Digest of Papers. Third International Symposium on Wearable Computers.