Ernest Rehmi Post

Samsung Research America, Mountain View, USA · Think Tank Team

We describe a novel wearable energy-harvesting system based on the phenomenon of contact electrification: when two materials are brought into contact and then separated, they are often found to be charged. By patterning circuits out of textiles with specific electronic properties, we can collect and channel these transferred charges to power-harves...

We describe an inertial measurement device based on an electrodynamically trapped proof mass. Mechanical constraints are replaced by guiding fields, permitting the trap stiffness to be tuned dynamically. Optical readout of the proof mass motion provides a measurement of acceleration and rotation, resulting in an integrated six degree of freedom ine...

Highly durable, flexible, and even washable multilayer electronic circuitry can be constructed on textile substrates, using conductive yarns and suitably packaged components. In this paper we describe the development of e-broidery (electronic embroidery, i.e., the patterning of conductive textiles by numerically controlled sewing or weaving process...

This paper presents ZeroN, a new tangible interface element that can be levitated and moved freely by computer in a three dimensional space. ZeroN serves as a tangible representation of a 3D coordinate of the virtual world through which users can see, feel, and control computation. To accomplish this, we developed a magnetic control system that can...

We report on a project that explored emerging technologies for intuitive and unobtrusive information interfaces in a compelling setting. An installation at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, was part of a public exhibit and included an interactive table that presented information associated with the exhibit to the gallery visitors without visible...

An apparatus for supplying power includes an input port; a charge storage device for storing charge received through the input port; control circuitry configured to transfer charge from the charge storage device and to maintain a bias voltage at the input port; and an output port for delivering power from the control circuitry to a device.

We describe theoretical and practical aspects of the particle trap as an inertial sensor. The insight motivating this approach is that a trapped particle acts like a mass on a spring, but the restoring forces are provided by electrostatic fields. Exquisitely machined physical mechanisms can be replaced by carefully tuned mechanical physics. Such in...

We describe theoretical and practical aspects of the particle trap as an inertial sensor. The insight motivating this approach is that a trapped particle acts like a mass on a spring, but the restoring forces are provided by electrostatic fields. Exquisitely machined physical mechanisms can be replaced by carefully tuned mechanical physics. Such in...

In collaboration with the Auto-ID Center, ThingMagic LLC has developed a unique multi-band RFID tag reader reference platform. This reader has been designed to read tags conforming to the the Auto-ID Center's emerging EPC specifications at both the 13.56MHz (HF) and 902 - 928MHz (UHF) frequency bands. The hardware architecture consists of a general...

In this paper, we present a case study of an interaction design exhibit, Origami Desk. This system integrates multi-modal interaction technologies and techniques in new ways to instruct users in folding origami paper into boxes and cranes. Origami Desk uses projected video clips to show users how folds should be made, projected animations to direct...

This paper presents a series of physical computer interfaces and computational devices that are constructed from electronic fabrics and conducting threads. We introduce two types of textile keyboards, a piecework switch matrix and a capacitive embroidered keypad. We discuss these fabric sensors in a variety of applications. We give examples of comp...

In this paper, we present a case study of an interaction design exhibit, Origami Desk. This system integrates multi-modal interaction technologies and techniques in new ways to instruct users in folding origami paper into boxes and cranes. Origami Desk uses projected video clips to show users how folds should be made, projected animations to direct...

We demonstrate a promising type of microfabricated accelerometer that is based on the optical interferometer. The interferometer consists of surface-micromachined interdigital fingers that are alternately attached to a proof mass and support substrate. Illuminating the fingers with coherent light generates a series of diffracted optical beams. Suba...

While wearable computers are empowering fashion accessories, they bring with them a tangle of wares which connect their parts. As these subsystems be-gin to decouple and operate on less power, it becomes possible to wirelessly distribute their required data and power using to the wearer's body. We have demon-strated systems that transmit and receiv...

Wearable computers can now merge seamlessly into ordinary clothing. Using various conductive textiles, data and power distribution as well as sensing circuitry can be incorporated directly into wash-and-wear clothing. This paper describes some of the techniques used to build circuits from commercially available fabrics, yarns, fasteners, and compon...

While wearable computers are empowering fashion accessories, they bring with them a tangle of wires which connect their parts. As these subsystems begin to decouple and operate on less power, it becomes possible to wirelessly distribute their required data and power using to the wearer's body. We have demonstrated systems that transmit and receive...

As the Internet continues its exponential growth, the user profile is changing. Many of the newer Internet hosts are personal workstations, often connected by dial-up or other slow links. We examine some factors that motivate or mandate “thin” (low-bandwidth) connections to the Internet. We notice that the motivation for adopting thin links in the...

We describe a wearable energy harvesting system based on the phenomenon of contact electrification. By patterning circuits using textiles with specific electronic prop-erties, we can collect and channel charge transferred by contact electrification to power harvesting circuitry. As a demonstration of this principle, we have designed and built a gar...

We present novel methods to transmit both data and power wirelessly through the human body. The body may be modelled as a conductor surrounded by an insulator. Power and data signals may be cou-pled electrostatically to the body's interior and sent through it. We apply this technology to a new type of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag that...