The following article summarizes the original event which is listed below the summary.
New frontiers in wearable technology
The UMRA Forum featured Brad Holschuh, PhD, co-director of the Wearable Technology Laboratory (WTL) in the University of Minnesota College of Design. Holschuh highlighted the work of the interdisciplinary WTL and recent advancements in technologies that can be integrated into fabrics.
Founded in 2009, the lab focuses on the intersection between apparel and new technologies in areas including medical, wellness, human space flight, e-textile manufacturing, and human-computer action. Could a computer-mediated compression vest help a person’s mental health? What methods could heat the human body instead of the environment? How can astronauts keep their hands dry during space flight? Could a sensing garment help to identify and monitor health issues? How can compression sox be more comfortable and versatile?
An assistant professor in the Department of Design, Housing, and Apparel, Brad Holschuh, PhD, also serves on the graduate faculty of the Department of Human Factors and Ergonomics and the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics.
New frontiers in wearable technology
Tue, January 26 2021, 12pm
Brad Holschuh, PhD
Co-director
Wearable Technology Laboratory, College of Design
Event to be held via Zoom.
An assistant professor in the Department of Design, Housing, and Apparel, Brad Holschuh, PhD, also serves on the graduate faculty of the Department of Human Factors and Ergonomics and the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics.
The UMRA Forum at 12 noon on Tuesday, January 26, will feature Brad Holschuh, PhD, co-director of the Wearable Technology Laboratory (WTL) in the University of Minnesota College of Design. Holschuh will highlight the work of the interdisciplinary WTL and recent advancements in technologies that can be integrated into fabrics.
Consider, for example, typical compression stockings that squeeze the legs to help with circulatory issues. They are difficult to put on and uncomfortable to wear because they are designed to be too small in order to provide compression. By integrating technologies such as sensors and actuators into the structure of the clothing, it could be possible to create stockings that are selectively tight—meaning, they could tighten in different areas, at different times, and at different magnitudes. You could have compression stockings that are initially loose fitting, easy to put on, and can later tighten to provide the therapeutic effect when it is desired.
Incorporating such technology into clothing creates special challenges beyond those faced by other wearable technologies like smart watches and fitness trackers. Holschuh will discuss the current research challenges, best practices for clothing-integrated technologies, and potential applications under development in the WTL.
Real, everyday uses
Founded in 2009, the lab focuses on the intersection between apparel and new technologies in areas including medical, wellness, human space flight, e-textile manufacturing, and human-computer action.
Many WTL projects deal with translating technological potential into real uses in our everyday world. Could a computer-mediated compression vest help a person’s mental health? What methods could heat the human body instead of the environment? How can astronauts keep their hands dry during space flight? Could a sensing garment help to identify and monitor health issues?
With backgrounds ranging from aerospace engineering to fashion design, students in the WTL are working together to find answers to these questions.
An assistant professor in the Department of Design, Housing, and Apparel, Holschuh also serves on the graduate faculty of the Department of Human Factors and Ergonomics and the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics. Please register and join us for this Zoom webinar.
—Suzanne Bardouche, UMRA Program Committee
Upcoming Events
We are fortunate to have UMRA member and former Minnesota Landscape Arboretum director Peter Moe to lead this approximately 3.7-mile hike at the Arboretum on Monday, May 6. Plan to have lunch together after the hike at the Eatery café inside the Oswald Visitor Center.
This session will continue the discussion begun in the May 8, 2023 session. See that article for details.
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Stephanie Daily will lead the discussion of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by best-selling author Mary Roach when the UMRA Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 17.
The May 20 hike will start at the Historic Lift Bridge in Stillwater and go along the river to the new bridge, cross over and then back on the Wisconsin side, a total of approximately 5 miles. Most of the route is paved. We will eat lunch after at Brian's Bar and Grill in Stillwater. Car pooling will be available.
Climatologist and meteorologist Mark Seeley joined the U of M faculty in 1978 and has been a weekly commentator on Minnesota Public Radio since 1992. We are honored to welcome him as our guest speaker for UMRA’s May Luncheon Forum and 2024 Annual Meeting. He is always entertaining and informative.
UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club welcomes back, for the second time, author Julie Schumacher, U of M Regents professor of creative writing and English, for a conversation about her novel The Shakespeare Requirement.
We are in for a treat on June 3! Lynn Anderson, will lead us on trails at two parks near her Monticello home. Bring a bag lunch and we will gather in Lynn's yard along the Mississippi River for eating and socializing after the hike.
Get out to the ballpark with fellow UMRA members for the annual U of M Day at Target Field as the Minnesota Twins take on the Oakland Athletics on June 14 at 7:10 p.m.
Please join us at 9:30 on June 17, 2024 for a walk around Lake Como in St. Paul before attending the UMRA Summer Social and Picnic starting at 11 at the Como Pavilion. A perfect opportunity to get in a walk before we gather to celebrate summer.
Picnic under the covered, open-air Como pavilion, gaze at the water, spy some birds, catch up with friends and former colleagues, and meet new members. We’ll have lunch with plenty of time for visiting and then compete in teams as we are challenged by our Quiz master(s)!
Healthy aging, mindfulness, fighting ageism, and more will be the focus of the third annual Age-Friendly University Day to be held on the U of M Twin Cities campus.