SeamSleeve: Robust Arm Movement Sensing through Powered Stitching

Despite significant 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 benefits 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 first empirical study (n=10) identifies 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 findings support the effectiveness of the approach in areas such as longitudinal physiotherapeutic rehabilitation beyond the clinic, enabling everyday motion capture.