ConText

Textile Oberflächen zur elektrischen Versorgung, informationstechnischen Kommunikation und intuitiven Interaktion mit IoT-Geräten im Smart Home

Short description

In ConText, a user-friendly and intuitive technology for smart textile surfaces was developed, which makes walls and floors in living areas usable for cable-based power supply and communication.

There are many ways to make living environments intelligent. Thanks to the so-called Internet of Things (IoT), living objects can now be networked with each other in such a way that they make our everyday lives easier in many ways. As a rule, however, private households lack nationwide low-voltage and communication connections to install IoT devices such as temperature sensors, microphones or light signals in the desired locations. To supply the systems with power, ecologically questionable and failure-prone batteries or unattractive power cables are therefore used. In addition, the devices require power-intensive and interference-prone radio technologies to communicate with each other. 
The ConText joint project aims to develop a flexible, user-oriented and intuitive solution that can be installed easily and without great effort in the home. To this end, partners from industry and research – including the DFKI research areas Cyber-Physical Systems and Interactive Textiles – are developing an IoT infrastructure of smart wallpapers, carpets and textile surfaces, so-called Connecting Textiles. Through these surfaces, IoT devices can not only be supplied with low-power, cable-based power, but also communicate with each other via standardized smart home protocols. The devices can be attached to the Connecting Textiles by the users themselves according to their individual needs, e.g. by simply gluing, stapling or plugging them in. In addition, the electronic textiles enable new, intuitive interaction possibilities, e.g. haptic interaction patterns such as pressing or swiping, which can be used to control and configure the devices.

Commissioning guide

1. plug in demonstrator plug in 2 lamps (floor lamp and small lamp) and switch on lamps!

2. then wait very long

3. patches must be positioned at the magnetic contact points

4. “Short-Press” on patch: switch on/off the assigned device (lamp, temperature display, blind)

5. “Long-Press” activate the setting mode of the assigned device

6. by swiping on the interaction field the activated devices can be set

6. 1.1 Lighting: Dimming -> Up / Down

6.1.2 Lighting: Light temperature or light color (depending on the device) -> Right / Left 6.2.1 Temperature: Change room temperature -> Up / Down

6.2.2 Temperature: Select other room -> Right / Left

6.3.1 Roller blind: Raise / lower roller blind -> Up / Down

Project duration

2019 – 2022

Team

  • Katharina Lorenz
  • Bodo Pahlke
  • Christian Pflug
  • Rahel Flechtner
  • Kristina Müller

Project funding

Project partner

  • Robert Bosch GmbH, Renningen
  • Deutsche Institute für Textil- und Faserforschung Denkendorf (DITF)
  • Fraunhofer-Institut für Fertigungstechnik und Angewandte Materialforschung (IFAM), Bremen
  • Norafin Industries (Germany) GmbH, Mildenau
  • Peppermint Holding GmbH, Berlin

Project outcomes

Loation

Regal 1 Fach 5

The demonstrator should be shut down properly. Do not just unplug it! 

Shutdown instructions:  Access the Pi via SSH or via screen: Username: pi Password: context 

For SSH via Putty: pi@192.168.253.83 PW: context 

1. Must be connected to access point “ConText” if not connected via LAN 

2. Must not be in vpn RasPi / command line commands:  RasPi shutdown: sudo shutdown -> shuts down after one minute sudo shutdown -h 0 sudo shutdown -h now -> shuts down immediately

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