Floor loom conversion module
Problem statement
There are two main types of commonly used looms used in textile production: mechanical floor looms and electronic jacquard looms. Mechanical looms are generally cheaper but limit the complexity of designs able to be produced while electronic jacquard looms enable weavers to make much more complex designs than standard floor looms. However, the electronic jacquard looms on the market are expensive, and this price barrier makes the technology inaccessible to most home weavers. Our client, Professor Fairbanks has access to only one electronic jacquard loom, the TC2, which costs about $30,000, and other market options are priced similarly [1]. If a standard floor loom could be converted into an electronic jacquard loom for under $1,000, then Professor Fairbanks and her students, as well as other home weavers and hobbyists, could gain access to jacquard loom technology and create designs never before possible on non-commercial looms. We aim to design an inexpensive floor loom conversion module that will make jacquard loom weaving more accessible to Professor Fairbanks and her students. References [1] D. W. Norway, “TC2 Loom| Digital Weaving Machine,” Digital Weaving Norway. https://www.digitalweaving.no/tc2-loom/ (accessed Sep. 17, 2020).
Team members
Benjamin Rose – leader
Matthew Herro – communicator
Nurul Bidi – accountant
Michael Sukkar – admin
Client
Marianne Fairbanks