Photonic textiles from Philips open up a wide range of applications in the fields of ambient lighting, communication, and personal health care.
According to Philips’ website:
This has been a research project until end 2005. Starting 2006 it has become a business project, which means that market research; partner search, customized product development and business development are the current focus. We foresee that the first products will come available in 2007. You can think of: furniture, pillows, upholstery, clothing & accessories, bags, toys, curtains, flags, banners and much more. There are no real limits to the size of the Photonic Textiles, our latest sample at this moment is a couch. In our demonstrators we have 16M colours available.
The power consumption depends on the number of LEDs and the displayed content. Applications can work on (rechargeable) batteries and the mains. To give an example the backpack runs 8 hours on 4AA batteries.
The Photonic Textile is driven via a control unit embedded in the application, which can support Wireless and USB. Philips has achieved interactivity by incorporating sensors (such as orientation and pressure sensors) and communications devices (such as Bluetooth, GSM) into the fabric. For instance, using your phone and Bluetooth Technology, real-time messages can be shown on the Photonic textiles.
Video: Philips ‘Lumalive’ photonic textiles:
More info here.
MacDailyNews Note: This is not Apple-related, but we felt it was interesting nonetheless. Imagine a T-shirt or backpack responding to music (or video?) played via an attached iPod.
Play your favorite iPod clips on your shirt as you walk around town. Maybe make a playlist of the “Get A Mac” ads? I guess the rotoscoped effects in TRON won’t look so fantastic anymore.
cool indeed, but wheres the battery go?
You light up my life!
Thanks for posting this item, which has not been widely reported. MDN night be interested to know that Google News does not list the MacDailyNews article on Lumalive, although it lists several others.
Great… now the only thing missing is sound-emitting fabric to go with that textile…
“Personal boom box redefined.”
Are the clothes machine washable?
TELETUBBIES!
I have over 10 stuck pixels on my Phillips Lumalive boxer shorts
what’s the return policy?????
Remember when the CEO of Philips was part of the SteveNote at MacWorld a couple of years back? He promised that Philips & Apple would be working closely to integrate Apple’s Rendevous (Bonjour), QuickTime & other technologies into their products. That’s been a couple of years ago.
I wonder how long their development cycle is. Or maybe they got ‘Played Fer Sure™’.
Wow! Very cool! I can see that these clothes would be HUGE sellers!
I think it sucks.
I bet apple store employees would look good wearing those
As someone else pointed out, there are a lot of questions that remain to be answered about these, like washability, resolution, etc.
would be great for cyclists and joggers along the roadside at night; Halloween outfits, etc….that’s a fantastic product.
Trust me on this one — this is absolutely ludicrous and will never take off for any practical purpose.
That’s the answer to ugly furniture. You could finally have active camoflage so nobody will see it. How about animated paisley? Or for the artistic types, you could superimpose a Picasso painting on your sofa. Think of the possibilities!
I can see it now in school:
“Honest Mr. Jones, I don’t know how that naked picture got on my T-shirt. It must have gotten hacked!”
Yeh-heh-hehessssss . . . just what we need: Another way for de a–holes of de world to shove their bad taste down our throats.
“Look at me! Look at me!! I’m a moron with a glowing shirt!!!”
I think they should design these so the battery pack has to worn up de ass. I guarantee you that Wacko Jacko will order a couple thousand at least.
Come onnnnn . . . even Ron Popeil would poop on this crap.
Porn bedsheets!
huge innovation.
Great idea if we all want to walk around dimly lit interiors. A dusky life indeed.
Good to see you here again, Triumph.
Liberace had it first. But I’m gonna duct tape a bunch under my car so a blue light shines up from the road everywhere I go. I’ll be cool again.
Wacko Jacko’s magic word is “trial”.
This fabric + an iSight-type camera device (front and back) = invisibility cloak.
That being said, anybody remember the heat-sensitive clothing being sold and, sadly, worn back in the late 80’s/early 90’s? Where did THAT cutting edge tech go?
All you assholes who are bashing MDN for reporting this can go to hell. This is a great site that reports the info most of us want. Nice story, but the way