SoftMod: A Soft Modular Plug-and-Play Kit for Prototyping Electronic Systems

Abstract

We present SoftMod, a novel modular electronics kit consisting of soft and flexible modules that snap together. Unlike existing modular kits, SoftMod tracks the topology of interconnected modules and supports basic plug-and-play behavior as well as advanced user-specified behavior. As such, the shape of a SoftMod assembly does not depend on the desired behavior and various 2D and 3D electronic systems can be realized. While the plug-and-play nature of our modules stimulates play, the advanced features for specifying behavior and for making a variety of soft and flexible shapes, offer a high-ceiling when experimenting with novel types of interfaces, such as wearables, and interactive skin and textiles. CCS CONCEPTS • Human-centered computing → User interface toolkits. Figure 1: (a) snapping together SoftMods to (b) prototype an interactive armband.