This repo contains the hardware files for Umbelt: a sensory substitution belt for everyday use. Designed to be worn around the waist underneath any belt, Umbelt doesn't compromise on function or style. The name Umbelt (pronounced "oom-belt") is a pun on the German word umwelt, used in English to describe an organism's sensory environment and perceptions.
Sensory substitution "is a change of the characteristics of one sensory modality into stimuli of another sensory modality." (Wikipedia) This means that sensory modalities which are not otherwise accessible to an individual can be recreated using haptic feedback on the waist. This includes ordinary sensory functions for prosthetic purposes as well as sensory information that is beyond typical human senses, such as electromagnetic radiation outside the visible spectrum, the Earth's magnetic field, time, physical proximity, velocity, or any other information in the computing world.
The initial configuration to try is the compass feature. This maps one's absolute orientation to the waist by always indicating where north is whenever the wearer's orientation changes. After wearing this for a while, the wearer experiences subtle changes in spatial perception. It becomes more natural to think in terms of absolute orientation, and separate locations become better integrated into a larger, more continuous sense of space.
Umbelt is designed as an assembly of two printed circuits: a rigid printed circuit board (PCB) and a flexible printed circuit (FPC). The board mounts all of the electronic components: the microcontroller, power regulators, 13 motor drivers, integrated sensors (magnetometer, accelerometer/gyroscope, and microphone), and connectors. The flex PC connects to the board and wraps around the wearer's waist, providing electrical connections to 12 of the 13 motors.
The Microcontroller is a Raytac MDBT50Q-1MV2 module based on the Nordic nRF52840 bluetooth microcontroller. This bluetooth connection enables phone-based configuration of Umbelt. A Sparkfun/Adafruit-style Qwiic expansion connector allows for the daisy-chaining of additional I2C sensors to Umbelt.
Schematics and layout were designed with KiCad version 5.1.10.
Schematics can be found here.
Software. Haptic effects, sensor libraries, and user programs.
Bootloader. This is a modified version of the Adafruit Feather nRF52840 Sense bootloader, and that target is to be used when compiling and flashing.
Creators' note: The aim of this license is to be semi-permissive: Umbelt may be used in larger projects under different licenses but Umbelt itself and modifications to it must be open-source under the same license. Refer to license text for specifics.
Copyright Natalie Cygan and Matthew Pauly 2021.
This source describes Open Hardware and is licensed under the CERN-OHL-W v2 or later
You may redistribute and modify this documentation and make products using it under the terms of the CERN-OHL-W v2 (https://ohwr.org/cernohl). This documentation is distributed WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY, INCLUDING OF MERCHANTABILITY, SATISFACTORY QUALITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Please see the CERN-OHL-W v2 for applicable conditions.
Source location: https://github.com/cygann/umbelt-hw