It would seem that this is a simple task - just attaching a device, with the ability to adjust depending on the diameter of the hand, a minimalistic design. But while developing uEMG for a whole year, we already knew some nuances... 

First, it is not so easy to find fitting textile solutions, especially among rubber bands and velcro. Some elastic bands are quite thin and stretch and lose their shape quickly enough. Velcro is often quite rough and sticks very tightly, which is good for semi-permanent fixation, but bad for our case.  

Second, the diameter of people's hands can vary greatly and it is very difficult to make a universal bracelet. More precisely, you can cover 70% of medium and large hands with one size, but 30% of small hands cannot be covered with the same bracelet length. Therefore, it was necessary to determine two lengths of the bracelet.  

Third, it seems that with a minimalistic design it should be easier, because you don’t have to invent a lot. But in fact, to make a simple practical bracelet that will perform its functions well and be wear-resistant... More precisely, for textile designers it is possible and simple, but for us, who do not have experience in this area, it is not easy) 

Well, every journey begins with one small step. uMyo needed a wristband for testing! So for experiments I bought samples of elastic bands and velcro, which were available in Ukraine. 

Due to the russian attack on Ukraine, in many areas, including electronic components and textiles, the assortment has significantly decreased, because some stores stopped working, people began to order less, and shipment to Ukraine took longer than before.  

From what I had, I sewed three bracelets of different lengths, with different types of velcro. Which made it possible to start testing uMyo and determine the minimum dimensions.  

But, as you remember, we would like to make uMyo a very simple device and finding a seamstress, purchasing materials for a bracelet, several iterations to the ideal option, serial sewing of bracelets in different colors, sizes, did not make the device simple and inexpensive... Therefore, this was the plan B. What was the plan A? I'll tell you in the following logs! 

The next log will be about board design.