We introduce a knitted inductive flex sensor which seamlessly integrates a coil and a capacitor into a soft and flexible tubular knit. By knitting enameled copper wires, we form a self-supporting coil, whose inductance changes with stretching and bending. Knitting both a coil and a parallel-wire capacitor, we create a textile resonant LC circuit, while preserving the softness, elasticity, and breathability of knitted textiles. In this paper, we present the fabrication process using an industrial knitting machine, evaluate sensor sensitivity and hysteresis over 100 bending cycles, and demonstrate the sensors versatility across joints of different radii. Our results show that knitted inductive sensors combine the wearability of soft textiles with the stability of inductive sensing, opening new sensing opportunities in healthcare, rehabilitation, and interactive electronic garments.

We introduce SqueezeMe, a soft and flexible inductive pressure sensor with high sensitivity made from ferromagnetic elastomers for wearable and embedded applications. Constructed with silicone polymers and ferromagnetic particles, this biocompatible sensor responds to pressure and deformation by varying inductance through ferromagnetic particle density changes, enabling precise measurements. We detail the fabrication process and demonstrate how silicones with varying Shore hardness and different ferromagnetic fillers affect the sensor’s sensitivity. Applications like weight, air pressure, and pulse measurements showcase the sensor’s versatility for integration into soft robotics and flexible electronics.

We present a method of creating living computer-aided drawings by depositing mold spores onto a growth medium using a modified 3D printer. Our approach combines the precision of computerized numerical control with the organic growth of fungi to yield an aesthetic and evolving viewing experience. The organic element of the drawing results in unique and unexpected artifacts driven by environmental factors and manufacturing inconsistencies. The microscopic spores, invisible to the naked eye, also allow for a sense of anticipation and surprise as a drawing slowly develops. Exploring the possibilities of mold-based media, we examined the color, growth pattern, and species interaction of two non-toxic fungal species. In this paper, we address the technical challenges of building a reliable mold printer, explore different methods of preservation, and conclude with a discussion regarding the artistic possibilities of creating living mold drawings.

Cyber-physical systems are highly distributed, flexible, and closely connected to the physical world. State preservation is an essential aspect of operating cyber-physical systems. If stateful applications fail, the current state needs to be restored so that the system can operate again. With the entry of edge computing, applications can now be containerized close to the equipment and allow new use cases. The lack of persistent storage in containers to ensure statefulness requires external, centralized, or distributed solutions. This paper explores this spectrum by comparing three experimental implementations and indicates possible causes for state loss. The underlying aim is to provide a starting point for choosing which state preservation approach is most suitable for which application type. The paper concludes with future research steps.

An important field of application for the Internet of Things (IoT) is the area of monitoring and control, which imposes requirements on dependability. As devices in the IoT become increasingly capable, they can make use of concepts and technologies provided by the area of knowledge engineering to cope with these requirements. Existing work in this area mainly covers dependability threats and means, but dependability attributes are less well investigated.This paper presents a dependability rating ontology that enables the quantification of dependability attributes and, thus, makes them comparable. This is achieved by combining a dependability tree ontology with an ontology covering metrics and scales. IoT devices can use the dependability rating ontology, e.g., to improve their control algorithms, which is demonstrated on the switching optimization problem, a Smart Grid use-case.

In this paper, we present TexYZ, a method for rapid and effortless manufacturing of textile mutual capacitive sensors using a commodity embroidery machine. We use enameled wire as a bobbin thread to yield textile capacitors with high quality and consistency. As a consequence, we are able to leverage the precision and expressiveness of projected mutual capacitance for textile electronics, even when size is limited. Harnessing the assets of machine embroidery, we implement and analyze five distinct electrode patterns, examine the resulting electrical features with respect to geometrical attributes, and demonstrate the feasibility of two promising candidates for small-scale matrix layouts. The resulting sensor patches are further evaluated in terms of capacitance homogeneity, signal-to-noise ratio, sensing range, and washability. Finally, we demonstrate two use case scenarios, primarily focusing on continuous input with up to three degrees-of-freedom.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, or Industry 4.0, aims to advance flexibility and reconfigurability in current production systems. This paper sets cyber-physical production systems in context with Industry 4.0 concepts and architectures. The combination points out the importance of the interplay between communication and component reconfiguration when changes occur. A solution that utilizes fog computing, container-based deployment and Kubernetes functionality is presented and evaluated in simplified reconfiguration scenarios. The findings show the feasibility and the challenges of the solution and point towards further research to successfully create reconfigurable cyber-physical production systems.

We present a novel method for augmenting arbitrary fabrics with textile-based pressure sensors using an off-the-shelf embroidery machine. We apply resistive textiles and conductive yarns on top of a base fabric, to yield a flexible and versatile continuous sensing device, which is based on the widespread principle of force sensitive resistors. The patches can easily be attached to measurement and/or computing devices, e.g. for controlling accessories. In this paper, we investigate the impacts of related design and fabrication parameters, introduce five different pattern designs, and discuss their pros and cons. We present crucial insights and recommendations for design and manufacturing of embroidered pressure sensors. Our sensors show a very low activation threshold, as well as good dynamic range, signal-to-noise ratio, and part-to-part repeatability.

We present Sonoflex, a thin-form, embroidered dynamic speaker made without using a permanent magnet. Our design consists of two flat spiral coils, stacked on top of each other, and is based on an isolated, thin (0.15 mm) enameled copper wire. Our approach allows for thin, lightweight, and textile speakers and does not require high voltage as in electrostatic speakers. We show how the speaker can be designed and fabricated and evaluate its acoustic properties as a function of manufacturing parameters (size, turn counts, turn spacing, and substrate materials). The experiment results revealed that we can produce audible sound with a broad frequency range (1.5 kHz - 20 kHz) with the embroidered speaker with a diameter of 50 mm. We conclude the paper by presenting several applications such as audible notifications and near-ultrasound communication.