OPEN SOURCE VR GLOVE WORKSHOP AT THE IRL
This week the IRL hosted etextile designers Rachel Freire and Becca Rose who have collaborated to develop an open source ‘Mudra’ VR gloves. The DIY glove design is compatible with the HTC Vive, breaking out the pins on the Vive Tracker and mounting it on the wrist of a DIY etextile glove design.
Our VR lab was temporarily repurposed as a makerspace to facilitate the creation of four brand new pairs of gloves and to repair and upgrade two existing pairs. The design was prototyped by Becca Rose, working from Rachel Freire’s open sourced designs which are published online here.
The ‘Mudra’ glove made in our workshop is an updated design developed specifically for the IRL team to use in Narupa. The name Mudra glove comes from the gestures you make when pinching finger and thumb to connect the two conductive fingertips on the glove and make a connection.
The the week began with a discussion about the prototypes and feedback from the team. Everyone contributed to making their gloves and learning how to maintain and repair them, even if they had no previous knowledge of sewing!
If you are interested in making your own gloves, there is a full tutorial available online with links to materials and .downloadable pdf patterns. There is also an update in step 11 with an alternative updated version using wires rather than etextile sensors. You can see supplemental work-in-progress images and videos on Rachel’s Flickr to aid with your glove making.
For more detailed information about how to make gloves see our RESOURCES page
