How weaving helped invent modern computing — and is shaping its future

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · Aug 16, 2026 · 907 words · By Sara Nabil

Inclusive Technology Digital Detox History of Computing E-textiles

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What to know about Inclusive Technology

The article explores the historical connection between textile weaving and the development of modern computing, specifically citing the Jacquard loom's influence on early programming. It also discusses contemporary 'hybrid craft' research that integrates electronics into textiles to promote inclusivity and innovation in technology.

Propaganda risk 10%

Claims checked 7

Techniques found 1

Topics 4

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Weaving is an ancient craft that is still practised as a hobby by many people around the world.

Why it matters

In recent years, it has found new life as more people have returned to hands-on making as a way to slow down, reconnect with materials and step away from screens.

Common ground

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people turned to crafts and DIY hobbies — including sewing, baking and gardening — to support their well-being.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Inclusive Technology story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that A Newcastle University project called Empowering Hacks is one example: two co-researchers who identify as disabled worked with the university’s Open Lab to design a set of 3D-printed handles for powered wheelchairs?
How does this story connect Inclusive Technology with Digital Detox over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/how-weaving-helped-invent-modern-computing-and-is-sh…

analyticsAnalysis

10%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 7 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified By Reference 3

check_circle Corroborated 3

info Single Source 1

verified

Claim 1: “A Newcastle University project called Empowering Hacks is one example: two co-researchers who identify as disabled worked with the university’s Open Lab to design a set of 3D-printed handles for powered wheelchairs.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The evidence provided for this claim consists of general Wikipedia entries for Newcastle United FC, the city of Newcastle, and unrelated topics (electronic voting, Queen Camilla). There is no mention of the 'Empowering Hacks' project or 3D-printed wheelchair handles.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Electronic voting in the United States involves several types of machines: touchscreens for voters to mark choices, scanners to read paper ballots, scanners to verify signatures on envelopes of absent…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_voting_in_the_Unite…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Occupy movement was an international socio-political movement that expressed opposition to social and economic inequality and to the perceived lack of authentic democracy around the world. It aime…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupy_movement

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Camilla (née Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles; born 17 July 1947) is Queen of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III. Camilla was raised in …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Camilla

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 2: “User interfaces in websites and mobile apps (also known as graphical user interfaces) evolved from command-line interfaces, which in turn, was a revolution over its predecessor: the punch cards.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of dictionary definitions of 'graphics' and 'graphical' and a general Wikipedia page on graphics, none of which discuss the evolutionary timeline from punch cards to CLI to GUI.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Graphics - Wikipedia. Jump to content. Main menu. move to sidebarhide. Navigation . Main page. Contents. Current events. Random article. About Wikipedia. Contact us. Contribute . Help. Learn to edit. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphics

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — GRAPHICAL Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster. Search. Chatbot. Games. Word of the Day. Grammar. Word Finder. Slang. Newsletters. Wordplay. Rhymes. Thesaurus. Join MWU. More. Games. Word of the Day…
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/graphical

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — GRAPHICAL definition: represented by or relating to a graph. Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/graphica…

verified

Claim 3: “Open-source tools such as Arduino, Raspberry Pi and the BBC micro:bit have lowered the cost of entry to physical computing”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms Arduino is open-source hardware/software. Other sources list Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and micro:bit as primary tools for physical computing.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Arduino () is an Italian open-source hardware and software company (now owned by Qualcomm), and is a project and user community that designs and manufactures single-board microcontrollers and microcon…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arduino

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of products using processors (i.e. central processing units) based on the ARM architecture family, sorted by generation release and name.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_products_using_ARM_pro…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Raspberry Pi ( PY) is a series of small single-board computers (SBCs) originally developed in the United Kingdom by the Raspberry Pi Foundation in collaboration with Broadcom. To commercialize the pro…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “Mathematician Ada Lovelace advanced his work beyond maths to envision programming any information represented by symbols, including musical notes or graphic designs.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web sources confirm that Ada Lovelace envisioned the Analytical Engine manipulating symbols beyond numbers, specifically mentioning musical notes and graphics.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, also known as Ada Lovelace, was an English mathematician and writer chiefly known for work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Lovelace

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Ada Lovelace envisioned in the early 19th century the possibilities of computing. In her notes, which ended up twice as long as the original article, Lovelace drew on different areas of her education.
https://theconversation.com/ada-lovelaces-skills-with-langua…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Ada Lovelace envisioned the Analytical Engine manipulating not just numbers but also symbols, including musical notes and letters, foreseeing applications like composing music and generating graphics.…
https://englishpluspodcast.com/ada-lovelace-the-unsung-visio…

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Claim 5: “Another project at Queen’s University experimented with 3D-printing on textiles and invented Fabric-Lego for assistive wearables to customize and personalize the medical aesthetics of finger braces and arm slings.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources confirm the project at Queen's University involving 3D-printing on textiles and the creation of 'Fabric-Lego' for assistive wearables like finger braces and arm slings.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Another project at Queen’s University experimented with 3D-printing on textiles and invented Fabric-Lego for assistive wearables to customize and personalize the medical aesthetics of finger braces an…
https://www.queensu.ca/gazette/stories/how-weaving-helped-in…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — By integrating customizable Lego®-like blocks into wearable fabrics in accessible DIY ways, users can personalize their wearables while maintaining comfort and functionality. We present the fabricatio…
https://programs.sigchi.org/dis/2024/program/content/164589

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — I attempt 10 LEGO Challenges, including building the bag, racing against YouTuber @TheB3 , building R2D2 out of pieces I already own, building LEGO whilst wearing gloves, building in the dark, and loa…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBLg3i6h7Kk

verified

Claim 6: “In 1804, a French weaver named Joseph-Marie Jacquard patented a loom that could weave intricate patterns using punch cards — paper cards with encoded holes.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Multiple sources, including Google Arts & Culture and Wikipedia, explicitly state that Joseph-Marie Jacquard patented his punch-card loom in 1804.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jacquard may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacquard

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Jacquard machine (French: [ʒakaʁ]) is a device fitted to a loom that simplifies the process of manufacturing textiles with such complex patterns as brocade, damask and matelassé. The resulting ens…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacquard_machine

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Joseph Marie Charles dit (called or nicknamed) Jacquard (; French: [ʒakaʁ]; 7 July 1752 – 7 August 1834) was a French weaver and merchant. He played an important role in the development of the earlies…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Marie_Jacquard

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “In the 1830s, Charles Babbage drew directly on Jacquard’s punch-card mechanism by realizing he could apply the same concept to algebric patterns, instead of textiles, to program his Analytical Engine.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources confirm that Charles Babbage used the concept of Jacquard's punch cards to program the Analytical Engine, specifically referencing the 'algebraical patterns' analogy.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The analytical engine was a proposed digital mechanical general-purpose computer designed by the English mathematician and computer pioneer Charles Babbage. It was first described in 1837 as the succe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analytical_engine

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Charles Babbage (; 26 December 1791 – 18 October 1871) was an English polymath. A mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer, Babbage originated the concept of a digital programmable…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Babbage

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.