• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.145-160
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to review the concept and thinking structure of deconstruction theoretically and thereupon, analyze the visual beauty and wearable comfort of the clothing and further, discuss the aesthetic characteristics and values of the decentering phenomenon in the 21st century fashion. Deconstruction provides for an cognitive framework whereby we could comprehensively review the difficult-to-understand and imprudent creativity unravelling in the name of the post-modernism as well as the ambiguous visual beauty and wearable comfort of our contemporary fashion. In particular, deconstruction refuses such concepts involving the relationship between the conventional clothing and its components as order, symmetry, balance, harmony, perfection and simplicity and instead, attaches some sense of value to such relatively inferior concepts as disorder, asymmetry, unbalance, disharmony, imperfection and complexity, and thus, reflects them in the modes of aesthetic representations to create new aesthetics and expand the expressive potential.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.1004-1016
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• 2021

This study aims to derive the design requirements for functional clothing worn with military wearable robots using a survey of people with military experience. Specifically, 982 adult males with military and muscular exercise experience were surveyed for their demands for the clothing worn with wearable robots during military activities. The study showed that it is necessary to develop functional clothing worn inside robots suitable for frequent movements of soldiers to improve their comfort level of wearable robots. The surveyed soldiers indicated that they preferred the top and bottom clothing with high-pressure levels because the upper body felt fatigued during transportation, while both the upper and lower body got exhausted during marches. The survey of design requirements revealed that the participants preferred a top with long sleeves and a bottom with ankle-length leggings in color similar to current military uniforms. We conclude that it is important to design functional clothing worn inside wearable robots in different forms depending on frequent movements, e.g., with differentiated pressures and material placements.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.210-220
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• 2023

Recently, smart wearable products, including electromyography (EMG) measurement devices and clothing, have been developed to monitor users' exercise levels, muscle activation, and muscle balance more effectively during fitness activities. However, technical and socioeconomic barriers, such as flexibility and durability, still pose challenges in terms of comfort, ease of wear, and wearability of smart clothing, which includes devices and circuits. To address these issues, this study developed a wearable EMG device integrated with clothing to collect valid EMG signals from desired muscles while maintaining comfort, functionality, and ease of wear. After deriving a combined structure that could stably position the wearable device within the clothing, a prototype was manufactured and evaluated for fit, compression, comfort, and exercise comfort test by ten participants (height = 176.2 cm, weight = 76.4 kg, chest circumference = 101.2 cm). The study found that the prototype had smaller circumferences around the chest, waist, and abdomen compared to commercial products, resulting in lower ratings for wearing comfort and ease of wear. However, the prototype received high ratings for fitting, pressure, and the exercise comfort test. Valid signals were obtained when the EMG device was combined to the prototype for the rectus femoris muscle, indicating stable positioning of the device during exercise.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.395-407
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• 2008

As global interest in clothing spreads over the smart clothing which arouses high added-value in the apparel industry, this study is to develop a smart jacket with an electrically-vibrating device maintaining excellent appearance and comfort. The vibrating device has a massage function that could relieve muscle pain near shoulders and neck. The purposes of this research are to develop jacket pattern for men in their thirties considering body shapes and fashion trend, to develop a wearable device that is composed of motor and controller and integrate it into a jacket, and to assess the external appearance and functional satisfaction of the smart jacket through the wearing test. The results are as follows: 1. In order to develope an appropriate jacket pattern for men in their thirties, several patterns were assessed for their fitting comfort. The final pattern was completed after making alterations some parts, and showed high satisfaction as 3.6(on a five-point scale) in all categories. 2. A vibrating device was developed by connecting motor, controller, battery and switch. Developing this device, focus was maximizing the strength of motor and minimizing the heat generated from motor and controller. Snaps were placed between inner and outer cloth of jacket so that the vibrating device could be easily attachable and detachable. The motor was located around Trapezius where muscles often get stiff. A switch was designed to be used in selecting the modes of Strong, Weak, and Cross Tapping. 3. The wearing test was conducted to examine outer appearance, comfort for motion, and functionality of the smart jacket. The results of assessing outer appearance showed that the location for attaching the vibrating device was not noticeable but looked natural, and there is almost no change in outer appearance when the vibrating device operates. The result of assessing comfort of action revealed that wearer's satisfaction was high in all categories about activity, wearer's comfort, etc. The result also showed that wear's satisfaction for effects of vibrating massage, easiness in using the device, heat generation was not less than 3.5 in all categories except a category about noise.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.827-835
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• 2022

Clothing pressure is considered the essential factor affecting the comfort of clothing, so it is crucial that it is measured precisely. The purpose of this study is to construct a prototype using the Adafruit Flora as the Arduino system, which can be used as a wearable framework for easy, low-cost, and precise clothing pressure measurement. The study also aims to determine how best to conduct the procedure of sensor calibration. To optimize the accuracy of the sensors, the calibration procedure was implemented using mathematical methods that combined polynomial and exponential regression in a hybrid approach. The prototype can easily measure clothing pressure even during active movements, as seen in the detection of stable signals. In addition, since the system was specifically proposed as a wearable patch that can be easily attached and removed as necessary, it can also be used to standardize the value of clothing pressure in each movement.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.305-316
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• 2021

In this study, the effect of wearing functional compression pants is verified using a lower-limb wearable robot through a bio-signal analysis and subjective fit evaluation. First, the compression area to be applied to the functional compression pants is derived using the quad method for nine men in their 20s. Subsequently, functional compression pants are prepared, and changes in Electroencephalogram (EEG) and Electrocardiogram (ECG) signals when wearing the functional compression and normal regular pants inside a wearable robot are measured. The EEG and ECG signals are measured with eyes closed and open. Results indicate that the Relative alpha (RA) and Relative gamma wave (RG) of the EEG signal differ significantly, resulting in increased stability and reduced anxiety and stress when wearing the functional compression pants. Furthermore, the ECG analysis results indicate statistically significant differences in the Low frequency (LF)/High frequency (HF) index, which reflect the overall balance of the autonomic nervous system and can be interpreted as feeling comfortable and balanced when wearing the functional compression pants. Moreover, subjective sense is discovered to be effective in assessing wear fit, ease of movement, skin friction, and wear comfort when wearing the functional compression pants.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.1178-1188
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• 2020

This study obtains preliminary data through a multifaceted examination of work undertaken by soldiers and factors that should be considered in the development of wearable robots; in addition, the study explores the development direction for such robots in this segment. This study conducted a survey on males who had military experience in order to analyze work practices. The results of the survey indicate that there has been an existing need for wearable robots for soldiers and that soldiers prefer robots equipped with functions to support specific physical activities and those that offer comfort while being worn. In addition, it was found that the method to wear robots should be developed according to the body part that considered movements performed by soldiers. It was also found that strengthening functionality over aesthetic factors is extremely important. Soldiers desired wearable robots that could assist their main activities, protect their bodies, and incorporated an excellent system in terms of wearability.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.327-335
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• 2007

As the digital environment gets ubiquitous, domestic and international research and development on smart clothing is being conducted actively these days. However, most research is being carried out with its center on upper garment. So research on lower garment is insufficient even though it affects wearer's activity and comfort to a great extent when digital devices are attached or wearers moves their body. Therefore, the type of clothes this research proposes is men's formal pants which have an electrically-vibrating wearable device. These are smart pants which are helpful in easing muscle pain with their massaging effect in daily life. For this purpose, this research intends to develop patterns considering the body shapes and movements of wearers and suggest a tentative structure plan for smart pants where a vibration device is attached, which is mainly composed of vibrating motor, controller, and switch, and considered their bulks, numbers, attaching places.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.709-721
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• 2017

This study researches the application methods of Wearable Technology (WT) realizing the convergence of Design and Electronics that could broaden the fashion expression boundaries to correspond to current convergence trends. For this, students in the Department of Fashion design and the Department of Electronics conducted an oriented convergence-design-workshop. The initial step of the workshop, included a lecture on WT including existing cases and brainstorming. As a result, two types of concepts; 'Light' using the lighting technology and 'Complex' using transforming and lighting technologies together were generated. Designers created garments that did not externally expose digital devices and engineers then configured basic systems with the minimum size of the devices applying. At the development stage, designers constructed internal structures of garments which do not influence the comfort situation and activities of those wearing the garments. Engineers then adjusted and finished the fashion prototypes' whole WT systems drawing on designers' guidelines. As the result of this study's workshop, the fashion prototypes were extracted by collaboration according to WT concepts; therefore, there could be the promising potential to broaden fashion expression boundaries through the application of WT.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.80-90
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• 2016

This study presents quantitative evaluation standards for they mobility test, conducted in the process of a slacks fit test. This study quantified the subjects' evaluation on the wearability of slacks to provide objective qualitative evaluation methods for existing mobility tests. The subjects were women of standard bodytype between the ages of 18 and 24 wearing slacks designed to test their mobility based on differences in ease in waist girth, hip girth, crotch length and knee length. A qualitative evaluation tested the wearability of slacks. Clothing pressure and gap area between the body and slacks were measured based on a quantitative evaluation. The clothing pressure and the gap area between the body and slacks (which reflect the results of the wearability test) were presented in this study as quantitative evaluation standards. Clothing pressure tended to increase as the ease of slacks decreased; however, clothing pressure standards, that induce discomfort, differed by body parts. The hip, crotch, and knee area were relatively less sensitive despite the waist and the abdominal area sensitivity to clothing pressure. This study suggests the minimum ease for the appropriate wearing comfort of slacks by region and motion as standards for the quantitative evaluation of mobility tests. These was reset in accordance to the limits of clothing pressure when the minimum ease was considered as wearable but exceeded the clothing pressure limits.