NANA - educational wearable technology

Despite the efforts of introducing STEMA in a gender-inclusive educational framework, the tech field continues to be populated with a majority of white cis males individuals. NANA leverages the proximity of wearable technology with skills that are commonly related to the feminine to stimulate girls to critically engage with technology.

According to a study by the University of São Paulo (https://jornal.usp.br/universidade/por-que-as-mulheres-desapareceram-dos-cursos-de-computacao/) the percentage of women graduating from Computer Science, in the last five years, was 9%. The rate for the Computer Engineering course was only 6%.  Other studies point out similar issues in other countries. The Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges in the U.S., for example,  published studies showing that girls are less encouraged to pursue technology careers. During the school years between elementary and high school, mainly, the number of girls interested in the contents and careers of physics, technology, and sciences falls sharply. Media advertising, school education, family, and social values influence these numbers and this lack of female interest.

Our founder Lina Lopes remembers that when she started her computer engineering education, there were 30 people in the class, with only 3 women. And Lina probably continued working with technology only because her mom is a physicist and her dad is an engineer. Both encouraged her to do a technical high school in electronics. The lack of encouragement for girls to pursue a scientific career is the problem we tackle with the NANA kit.

What if we tried to bring girls and women together through historical, social and advertising values that already are recognized as part of the female universe? For many years it was the task of women to layout and sew their children's clothes, for example. The imaginary of clothing is linked to the idea that it is a female concern. NANA proposes to teach young girls and experienced women to work with wearable technologies embedded in clothes.

NANA is a kit consisting of modular parts - buttons, LEDs, buzzer, vibrating motor, battery, and connectors with conductive lines, which can be conveniently affixed to clothes and accessories. More than a kit, NANA also has a way of thinking technology. It has a methodology of ideation, with a board and cards where it is possible to create a wearable for a character and to know a repertoire of possibilities. In addition, it has tutorials that allow you to build step-by-step projects, from the most basic to the most advanced. All this made available in an open way with the intent to create a big community around the world.

We had the opportunity to test NANA inside an industrial technical school in clothing with a group of young aspirants in the area and ladies who were interested in expanding knowledge. At the beginning, we surveyed what they thought technology was. They brought words that refer to the future and ease, an idea of technology very close to "jetson's".

In the first NANA activities, the group developed a prototype of wearables and realized that technology was much closer and more accessible in terms of ideas, costs and development. There were few classes, but it took part of the students to later develop technical proposals for innovative clothes and bags using technology within the course.

In addition, a series of training sessions were carried out with traditional seamstresses from peripheral regions of the city of São Paulo. They sewed the NANA kit and learned to use a multimeter and could see an LED lighting up on the pieces they were sewing.

First of all, our founder is the granddaughter of an illiterate woman who has always valued literacy. In addition to literacy, the focus of NANA is to make digital literacy accessible to girls and women who have had their interest in technology denied by social, educational or financial factors. NANA is thought and applied within a country that has had many years of slavery and few years of democracy, in which social and gender differences are a historical heritage and whose population has learned to adapt technologies and to be very creative due to the lack of resources.

Our main competitors are the Lilypad Arduino family (https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main...) and the Flora Family (https://www.adafruit.com/produ...). Both electronic families were developed to be used with conductive thread and the Arduino SDK. However, its implementation in an item of clothing depends on a laborious process of embroidering the connections with conductive thread. Our solution instead utilizes a connection system that allows the user to design and redesign the wearable system in a more straightforward fashion. Another possible competitor is the Little bits (https://www.littlebits.cc/welc...) that uses a similar modular approach to connect the electronic modules. However, it utilizes rigid materials that are not suitable for the body. 

Unlike the electronic kits available in the market, the Nana kit utilizes materials and techniques related to the clothing industry like embroidering and sewing. This approach makes it a natural entry point for those who are not familiar with electronics, especially girls and women. We focus on using smart and flexible materials that are ideal for interfacing on the body. Our solution also includes a methodology that engages the user in a critical approach to technology, giving her the tools to create, prototype, and test their ideas rapidly and efficiently. 

Bellow, we summarize the main innovative aspects: 

• Focus on the use of technology.

• Use of a Tailor-made methodology to guide the user through the process of ideation and prototyping.

• Use of flexible materials.

• Use of innovative plug and play connection technique.

We decide not to reinvent the wheel, but instead to leverage the electronic and the fashion world's best to promote STEAM education for girls and women. The Nana kit combines old techniques related to the universe of clothing like embroidering and sewing with smart materials that add new functionalities to the system and electronics that orchestrate the interaction. Applying this combination into an easy to use modular kit.

The parts that form the kit are divided into sensors, actuators, and connectors of various sizes and lengths. Combining those elements develops computational power around the body. It creates many different functions for multiple applications in areas like health care, individual expression, and sports, to name a few. The process of selecting the adequate combination of the modules is guided by the unique methodology that uses graphic material to introduce concepts and approaches in a fun and uncomplicated way. 

Additionally, the Nana kit aims to train women that already work for the clothing industry. Nana workshops and hands-on activities allow them to understand and apply wearable technology in their service portfolio and, consequently, add value to their work and products. Technology transfer and empower women is at our core.

https://lilozone.github.io/NANA-solves/

The nana kit is the outcome of an iterative process in which the creators joined together to test materials and techniques that best serve the aim of the project. The current version was also tested in workshops with students from Senai (http://www.sp.senai.br/), one of the five biggest educational centre for professionalization in the world. The methodology was successfully implemented during the class. The students were engaged and surprised at how easily they could understand and create electronic circuits around the body. Unfortunately, the activities had to be stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Nana kit was also used as a base for tutorials in the new book from Ricardo O'Nascimento published by Senac Editora in Brazil (https://www.amazon.com.br/Roup...). The book "Roupas inteligentes: combinando moda e tecnologia" is the first book in the Portuguese language on the topic.

Our project impacts the individual, their direct community, and the society as a whole on many levels. For the individual, Nana's methodology introduces critical thinking towards technology. Beyond that, it teaches a skill that can become a new revenue stream for the user. The understanding of electronics and its application boosts self steam and contributes to the empowerment of the individual.  Although our focus is on girls and women, any individual can engage and profit from the Nana kit. By valorizing, the commonly depreciated knowledge related to the feminine (sewing, clothing, etc.) Nana kit promotes gender equality. It encourages girls to engage with STEAM education. 

The direct community is also affected by the project.  Through group activities, the workshops are taught to champion social and problem-solving skills that can be applied in all the areas of life. The user-focused methodology also promotes empathy and the exercise of putting oneself in other people's places. Such strategies can be applied to other problems of social life. 

The broader society also benefits from the project in the longer-term. Companies and start-ups can use the acquired knowledge - or the services from the qualified individuals -  to scale the benefits of wearable technology and transform the prototypes created using the Nana kit into products. Nana kit can help women and girls to develop their best potential and apply it to a better society.

Currently, the solution serves a limited number of students. 40 in total. It's our beta testers of the NANA kit and methodology.

In one year we aim to extend this number to 800 in Brazil. For this, we need to scale the physical kit. Industrializing it.

In five years we want to reach more than 10000 individuals directly in Latin America and Europe at a least.

For the next year, we aim to establish a partnership with manufacturers to produce the NANA kit locally in Brazil and a partnership with at least two educational institutions. For the next five years, we aim to increase our solution to Spanish speaking countries in Latin America and in English to reach a broader international community.

For the next year, we face the challenge of finding/creating a manufacturing process that allows us to scale up the kit production. The COVID-19 pandemics also presents a challenge to overcome. The workshops and activities rely on the manipulation of the body and realize it while respecting the social distance guideline might be a problem. A revision on the material we use for the kit might be necessary to make it more environmentally friendly. For the next five years, the main challenge is to find the right channel and to communicate with international Educational institutions.

We plan to overcome the manufacturing process difficulties by realizing a complete case study and execute at least two more iterations of the system. The qualitative analysis of this case will guide us towards the best practices. We are going to explore the creation of digital content as much as possible through video tutorials. For internationalization, we plan to search for partners through our personal network and the network of Solve’s platform.

Everything changed after corona times. Our project was impacted because we work with physical prototyping. So, in our full-time staff nowadays, we are 4 people. The part-time team is more 2 persons and contractors for each necessity more 10. It's a small team, but so passionate for the project and this is the reason we do so many.

Lina Lopes is a technological artist, innovation consultant and entrepreneur. She is the founder of LILO.ZONE, a space for creative and innovative use of technology in São Paulo, which houses the only Wearables Laboratory in Latin America. She has been a mentor in several art and technology projects, including Hacking Arts (MIT Media Lab), lecturer in major events such as Campus Party and Sao Paulo Fashion Week. Nowadays she is researching new flexible conductive bio based materials.

Maurício Jabur has been an electronic hobbyist since he was 12 years old, and coming from a do-it-yourself family. With a technical background, he expresses himself creatively mainly through electronics and digital fabrication, but his interests are broad and always brings together subjects such as art, neuroscience, behavior and perception.

Rita Wu is architect, designer and researcher Rita Wu is a restless figure in the maker world. In addition to her lectures and consultancies, she was director of the Fab Labs network of the São Paulo City Hall, which attests to her vocation in defending the social character of this still growing niche.

Ricardo O'Nascimento is a designer specialized in electronic textiles, digital manufacturing techniques, and materials. He has extensive experience in developing prototypes for interactive wearable systems, as well as User Experience design and graphic design. Currently, he is a Ph.D. candidate at Loughborough University.


In these initial years of NANA, we count on the partner of Social Fabric, a third sector organization that works directly connecting with seamstresses from the outskirts of the city of São Paulo. The NGO's objective is to ensure that the work of these professionals is recognized and remunerated accordingly. Part of the manufacture of the NANA kit was supported by this network.

For the methodology we have the partnership of SENAI. A national network of schools focused on learning for the industry. It is a school known for offering professional training in peripheral areas. Another partner school is IED São Paulo, an international design school with great interest in technology.

Our business plan is focused on the project's financial sustainability through activities that align with the primary goal of providing an easy way for girls and women to critically engage with technology. The impact can be efficiently measured through quantitative and qualitative analysis of the activities using formularies and semi-structured interviews. The customers should gain knowledge on a design framework to create, design, and evaluate wearable technologies. The segments that benefit the most from our solution are educational institutions, professionalizing training institutions, and women working in the clothing sector. It is vital to notice that our solution's impact extends the individual and directly reflects on the community and society as a whole. Our principal activities are promoting educational activities in partnership with institutions, selling the kit online and in events, selling training workshops to educate workshop facilitators, and producing online content to support all these mentioned activities. Our partners and key stakeholders are school coordinators, cultural institution managers, students, and women working in sewing workshops. 

We plan to rely on multiple revenue streams for NANA kit. The primary revenue might come from selling educational activities to Educational Institutions. Selling those educational activities includes the selling of Nana kits and the workshop facilitator's hour work. A secondary revenue stream is the direct selling of the kit to customers via our own online shop and partnership with distributors like Amazon or eBay and in events focused on the maker community as maker fairs and educational fairs. 

On top of that, we intend to apply for grants that allow us to plan and offer courses at a free or symbolic rate for women and girls in poor communities. An alternative revenue stream is establishing partnerships with cultural institutions that can provide our solution in their program.  We plan on acting on different approaches simultaneously to do not rely on only one alternative.

We are applying to SOLVE because we impose in ourselves the mission to help girls and women to get access to a better quality education focused on STEAM. The discrepancy between genders in science-related fields is outrageous. To us, the need to plant a seed of curiosity in your girls is crucial for a more equalitarian society. The SOLVE network is the perfect platform to help us achieve our goal as fast as possible. We certainly need help fine-tuning our business model and to find the right partners to bring our solution to other markets. The SOLVE network can also deliver the exposure and validation necessary to grow our business and create life-changing opportunities for girls and women in Brazil, Latin America, and beyond.