what exactly is tether?
written by @anne
tether is a hack club you-ship-we-ship hardware program that fuses fashion and firmware. it is a soft landing to the world of creative technology and the goal is to create a piece of wearable technical project that stitches together art, hardware, and imagination.
we’re challenging you to design and fabricate a custom pcb, write firmware to make it alive, and build a wearable form factor! all with the goal of making something that moves, glows, senses, responds, or transforms the way we wear technology.
we’re not looking for ideas, we’re looking for things that are actually built, and more importantly, built by you.
what you will ship
you build a wearable tech prototype that includes the following:
- custom pcb your board can be built around an esp32, rp2040, or attiny, and must power at least one interactive element (leds, sensors, capacitive touch, or anything fun.
- firmware that makes it alive your code should run on the board and respond to something! light, movement, sound, or touch. led animations, motion-activated surprises, sound-reactive visuals? up to you.
- wearable form factor we won’t ship fabric or clothing, so use what you already have :)) a thrifted jacket, an old hat, a scarf from your closet. the tech’s what we’re funding!