Im a student working on my final year project and am exploring Arduino! I'm hoping ye could help smooth out some bumps I'm having?
I want to develop a prototype of a measuring tape or sensor embedded into a piece of clothing (like a shirt or pants) that can accurately measure someone's unique body proportions and measurements, ideally to help finding clothes easier.
The current idea is for a sensor of some kind to be embedded into a cloth or something that can be stretched out when worn OR wrapped around something to collect the data, calculate it, then share it with the user so they know their exact measurements.
Anyone know of any sensors or ideas to help this come to fruition?
How would any sensor be more accurate than how it is done today? And, how accurate are you wanting? Won’t the measurements be different tomorrow or when taking a breath?
Think of the variation of body sizes, then figure out a garment that would fit all of them. If you get that the rest will be doable.
I think a cloth tape measure is the best but you could design that into a role up design like a metal tape measure and use electronics to determine the length.
There are no such sensors and too many practical problems with that idea to take it seriously, especially considering that two minutes spent with a measuring tape will answer all the questions of interest.
Why re-invent? The cloth tape measure does the job and is much faster to use than any garment+electronics you might find.
I bet you are a sci-fi guy/gal and have seen whole body scanners on TV/movies. Sorry, that is done in the CGI lab.
Why? The person wearing it will not change much. To measure different people You’ll need to handle sizes from small to xxxlarge…. Sounds more than difficult to build.
One wash cycle at 60-degrees will soon put paid to that. And the notches in belts soon remind me what size trousers I need.
I think there are more useful things, in the health and social sectors for example, that could be developed.
I learned yesterday of a relatives' friend died of cardiac arrest while running. Maybe something that said don't go running today. Welfare checks on frail and lonely people. Something that makes sure I put my medication in my mouth. An inactivity alarm.
I can’t think of anything that could do that . To measure a body you need to be in contact with it all the way around in multiple places - it’s just not practical .
Before you think of sensors , you need to think what physical techniques are possible to do your task , then look at sensors that can measure that physical parameter .
For example if you wanted to measure speed , you know you need to know distance and time .
For a worn item , what will you measure ?
I think I’d look at something else to do .
BTW for such projects you need to do the research to be able to justify any chosen method , you will perhaps have to do that in a job in later years - you can’t effectively ask someone else to tell you how to do it .
I guess you could have a series of tapes that are rolled in tight using a motor and encoder can’t see how you would do that with the weight etc of the parts and the fear of constriction .
