Innovate & Create

Wearable Technologies

Challenge

Create a communication tool to help educators identify children needing extra support with the use of wearable technology. Early childhood settings are dynamic and busy environments with high child to educator ratios, 1:11. It can be challenging to monitor all children at once in large group settings maintaining a calm and safe learning environment, especially identifying children in need of additional support that struggle expressing their emotions or are nonverbal.

Approach

Reflecting on my experience in industry, understanding the challenges in large group care settings led me to develop ideas on how to implement a wearable tech device to best aide educators.

In early childhood settings a colour code communication tool is taught to help children identify and express their emotions. Children can use 4 colours to communicate with educators how they are feeling: Blue=Sad/Tired Green=Happy/Calm Yellow=Worried/Frustrated Red= Angry/Terrified. These skills allow for children to communicate their needs, although a nonverbal/shy/sensitive/potential child on the spectrum may find it difficult to verbally communicate their emotions. This tension led to the idea of a vest to aid educators monitor a child from a distance and effectively pre-empt additional support and care with the use of a colour lighting system.

A process of user centred design was applied to develop the prototype, along with experimentation, programming, coding, testing, trouble shooting and making with the use of Adafruit flora, a wearable electronic platform, neo pixels, conductive materials, and calico.

Outcome

A Preschool Communication Vest, a tool intended for Preschool/Early Childhood Education environments for children to communicate non-verbally to their educators and peers how they are feeling through a colour code light system. A push button at the front of the garment allows the wearer to push and select the colour that best represents their emotions. Two neo pixels light up at the front of the vest to display the colour with a reference guide of colours and emotions at the front, further development would include lights on the back of the vest for enhanced visibility to monitor the child’s wellbeing from a far. The vest has potential to help aide educators maintain a safe and supportive environment.