Leslie Birch
Workshop: Wearable Microcontrollers
Leslie Birch
Wearable Tech @ Adafruit
About the Workshop
Participants will work with Leslie to design their own wearable circuit. A GEMMA sewable microcontroller, conductive thread, and LED sequins will be used in this workshop. The goal of this workshop is to demonstrate effective ways to engage youth in STEM activities. This workshop will guide participants on how to keep circuits, programming, and engineering fun for youth. There is no additional charge to attend this workshop. Kits will be available for purchase, and may be shared. Seating is limited, attendees with kits will be given seating priority.
About the Presenter
Leslie Birch fancies herself a tech geisha in Philadelphia. Her life was forever changed when she attended WIRED magazine’s NEXTFest in 2006. The combination of interactive art and robots led her swiftly to electronics. She started to experiment with soft circuits, stitching electrical components into clothing, and eventually had a workshop with Leah Buechley, the inventor of the Lilypad Arduino. She was smitten, and her new love led her to wins with her teams at NASA’s International Space Apps Challenge for the Orbit Skirt, a skirt that can track the International Space Station, as well as Senti-8, a wrist band that allows astronauts to experience the scents they miss. Her FLORAbrella has garnered attention around the world as a color sensing LED umbrella.
Currently, Leslie creates projects and tutorials for Adafruit, a DIY electronics company in New York promoting education. She can also be found blogging about wearables for both Adafruit and Element 14. Her hangout is Hive76, a hackerspace promoting open source hardware. When not hacking, Leslie shares her tech love through speaking engagements and teaching. Yes, she loves Star Wars and you can follow her @zengirl2.
Workshop kit fee is $20 and includes one GEMMA starter kit:
Adafruit GEMMA V2 – Miniature wearable microcontroller
Adafruit LED Sequins – Warm White – Pack of 5
Needle set – 3/9 sizes – 20 needles
Stainless Thin Conductive Thread – 2 ply – 23 meter/76 ft
2 x 2032 Coin Cell Battery Holder – 6V output with On/Off switch
2 x CR2032 Lithium Coin Cell Battery