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Do-It-Yourself Wearable Tech Hits Market

Tracy Staedter, Discovery News

"It's pretty to look at. How unusual is that in electronics?" posed Igoe.

And "pretty" could open up the notion of playing around with electronics to people other than boys and engineers.

"I'm really excited about using the kit to get girls and young people involved in computer science and engineering," said Buechley.

The challenge may come in taking wearable electronics to the next level, said Igoe.

"Right now, we can make flashy LED shirts. Okay. Great. What can you do after that?" he asked.

But the kit is a start in the right direction, said Igoe.

"LilyPad is a pretty big step for our field," said Igoe. "I wish more people making tools for physical computing paid as much attention to aesthetic detail as Leah does."

But for Buechley, the important part is getting electronics into the hands of people who may not necessarily see themselves as computer scientists.

"My first priority is on the social side, just trying to develop a community of users and doing my work with kids to develop a network and community," said Buechley.

Related Links:

What is Arduino?

Lilypad

MIT: Wearable Computing