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Car Paint Changes With Temperature

PlayfullyClever writes "It's now common to build materials which can change colors depending on their surrounding environment because of progresses made in colloid chemistry. But now, German researchers have gone a step further. They've used ion bombardment and gold metallisation to produce new particles whose bonding behavior can be chemically tailored. This could lead to new shimmering car finishes which can change with temperature or humidity, new cosmetics, but more importantly, to new applications in optical data processing"

237 comments

  1. All the ricers by doubtless · · Score: 5, Funny

    All the Ricers Rejoice!

    Now we're not limited to Type-R stickers anymore!

    --
    geek page at KY speaks
    1. Re:All the ricers by 920714 · · Score: 0

      All hail the color-changing Type-R stickers, up to 37% faster than the original!

      --
      english is way to easy
    2. Re:All the ricers by richdun · · Score: 1

      Man, those ricers always get the tech before us in the States. First they had those rice/electric hybrids, then fancy stickers, now fancy color-changing stickers. What's next, a 10 year warranty?

    3. Re:All the ricers by moro_666 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Who gives a [censored] about the temperature ?

      The car should be black for the rest of the world, and cute yellow for my girlfriend. So she woulnd't mind if i buy it ("cause it's soooo cute"), and i'd still have a solid nice macho black car.

      Even better would be if she'd see a small cute renault, whereas i'd see a '67 mustang ...

      --

      I'd tell you the chances of this story being a dupe, but you wouldn't like it.
    4. Re:All the ricers by AndroidCat · · Score: 1

      I suggest something from FNORD Motors, but few people can see those at all.

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    5. Re:All the ricers by Digital+Pizza · · Score: 1

      Grow a pair and buy the freakin' car you WANT! Women respect guys who don't worry about what THEY think.

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    6. Re:All the ricers by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 1
      On behalf of Mustang ex-owners everywhere, I advise you to buy the Renault. It'll be much more reliable. Yeah, you heard that correctly.

      What self-respecting 16-year-old protogeek should have to memorize a Chilton's Manual just to keep his wheels on the road? It's like making the kids in shop class use Gentoo, but where using the wrong CFLAGS will kill them on the highway.

      On the other hand, the girlies loved my "No Fat Chicks" bumper sticker. At least, I hoped at the time that they would.

      --
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    7. Re:All the ricers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Even better would be if she'd see a small cute renault, whereas i'd see a '67 mustang ...

      So basically you want to be able to cast a Spell of Illusion on your car.

      While you're at it, you could cast a Spell of Illusion on your gf...

  2. Pimped! by isecore · · Score: 4, Funny

    I can already hear Xzibit running like mad to get this stuff. Cars that change colors? You've officially been pimped!

    --
    I enjoy large posteriors and I cannot prevaricate.
    1. Re:Pimped! by xYoni69x · · Score: 1

      For some people, cars are just red, green and blue. But for me, they change with temperature. You know why? 'cause I'm your boy X to the Z Xzibit!

      --
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    2. Re:Pimped! by LittleBigLui · · Score: 1
      I'm your boy X to the Z Xzibit!


      You liar! You're really my boy x to the Y xYoni69x!
      --
      Free as in mason.
  3. Real Scientific Applications... by Chris+Bradshaw · · Score: 4, Funny

    This could mean a great deal for real scientific applications such as the "aura detector" http://www.amasci.com/freenrg/aura/aura.html

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    1. Re:Real Scientific Applications... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      Insightful? Try Bunk

    2. Re:Real Scientific Applications... by Chris+Bradshaw · · Score: 1

      Thankfully someone modded this funny... I was begining to wonder???

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  4. New: The Mood Car by jmp_nyc · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just in time for the next wave of 70's nostalgia.
    -JMP

    1. Re:New: The Mood Car by ZorinLynx · · Score: 1

      I had a Disney's "Aladdin" cup that I got from McDonald's or BK or somewhere in the early 90s that changed color "magically" when you poured a cold beverage into it.

      Unfortunately the color-changing coat eventually all came off. Cheap crap!

      My point is this "technology" isn't exactly new, though.

      -Z

    2. Re:New: The Mood Car by Ashley+Bowers · · Score: 0

      Your right should be just in time for that.

    3. Re:New: The Mood Car by KDR_11k · · Score: 2, Informative

      As even the summary says, the new part is that it can be turned into different kinds of paint. Unless your car is made of cheap plastic you can't use paint meant for plastic on it.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    4. Re:New: The Mood Car by geoffspear · · Score: 1
      I drive a Saturn, you insensitive clod.

      Now where can I get my cheap plastic car body repainted with cheap color-changing paint?

      --
      Don't blame me; I'm never given mod points.
  5. I can see it now, GTA style. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    "Quick! I need a paintjob!"
    "Ok"
    Brings out flamethrower.
    "NO!!!"

  6. we had this years ago by rebug · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hypercolor shirts were awesome!

    --

    there's more than one way to do me.
    1. Re:we had this years ago by isd_glory · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.

      I find it slightly amusing that it's taken car manufacturers nearly 20 years to catch up with the latest in 80's t-shirt technology.

    2. Re:we had this years ago by vistic · · Score: 1

      Not just that, but more on topic, I remember having MicroMachines and HotWheels cars that did this years ago... you used to change their color by putting cold water on them... and then they would change back as the car warmed up to room temperature again.

      I hated wearing my Hypercolor shirt... people used to come up and slap their hand on your shirt all the time... but then again that was back in 5th grade.

    3. Re:we had this years ago by Quevar · · Score: 1

      I wonder if they have gotten beyond the excessive heat issues. My hypercolor shirt was cool until I put it in the dryer - then it was just color. I'd hate my car to stop changing colors when it was left in the sun too long....

    4. Re:we had this years ago by LordLucless · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Not only awesome, but therepeutic.

      When I was a kid, I had chickenpox. My case was an especially severe one, and I was bedridden for a while with high fevers, which we kept down through medication. I just lay in bed in my hypercolour shirt, and when it started to change colour (due to the fever beginning to rise), Mum could tell the meds had worn off and I needed another dose. Better than mucking around with thermometers every half hour or so.

      --
      Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face
    5. Re:we had this years ago by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I remember the girls would put their hands all over you just to see the color change :)

    6. Re:we had this years ago by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    7. Re:we had this years ago by Zog+The+Undeniable · · Score: 1

      My sexagenarian father-in-law still wears his!

      --
      When I am king, you will be first against the wall.
    8. Re:we had this years ago by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      I had a couple of toy cars with this kind of paint around 10-15 years ago, and thought at the time that it would be cool if you could get it on real cars (imagine car washes). I'm not quite sure why this qualifies as news.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    9. Re:we had this years ago by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Hypercolor: more fun than having your mom stick something up your ass every half hour"

    10. Re:we had this years ago by LordLucless · · Score: 1

      Or under your armpit even

      --
      Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face
    11. Re:we had this years ago by walstib · · Score: 1

      I remember the girls would put their hands all over you just to see the color change :)
      That's why I had hypercolor underwear!

      --
      The most dangerous strategy is to jump a chasm in two leaps. - Benjamin Disraeli
  7. I don't get it by the_humeister · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Maybe it's just me, but what's so great about using this as car paint? Certainly the article could have expanded on other uses. On the other hand, it might pretty good for my low-rider

    1. Re:I don't get it by NoTheory · · Score: 1

      This would be a terrible idea. What car has an even temperature distribution? All i can imagine are cars whose paint has begun to fade and peel from engine heat, only now, in new shiny colors.

      --
      There are lives at stake here!
    2. Re:I don't get it by vishbar · · Score: 1

      What about for defense purposes? For instance, since the US is in Iraq, would it be possible to coat a tank or other type of fighting vehicle with this paint to have it give off a "shimmer" similar to the ambience of the desert? It seems to me that paint that changes based on its surroundings may be showing on future military vehicles.

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    3. Re:I don't get it by kahanamoku · · Score: 1

      Or... A Chameleon tank that is colored as follows:

      Black & White cammo' paint for cold conditions (Snow)
       
      Greens & Browns for tropical (humid) conditions
       
      Orange and Yellows for desert (Hot & Dry) conditions

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    4. Re:I don't get it by BrainInAJar · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yeah, for when the US is involved in actions that push from the arctic through a jungle to the middle east without stopping...

    5. Re:I don't get it by ozmanjusri · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Maybe it's just me, but what's so great about using this as car paint?

      Having cars which turn white or reflective in summer and dark in winter could be a huge energy saver.

      --
      "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
    6. Re:I don't get it by iggymanz · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I was think of the opposite for a car to become more visible for purposes of safety: during the day and in good weather your car is its normal color, but turns white or light pastel color at night, dark during daytime snowstorm, yellow-green during fog, etc.

    7. Re:I don't get it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't give them any ideas. I'm of draft age and do not want to find myself trekking through Siberia and India into the Middle East.

    8. Re:I don't get it by iaamoac · · Score: 1

      With regards to being a huge energy saver, let's go one step further....

      What if it could be easily and cheaply applied to the windows of your house? Particularly during the summer months where I'm from in Canada, if it (or something similar) could reduce the amount of sun entering through the windows, that could be another opportunity to reduce the electric bill when the air conditioner is operating.

    9. Re:I don't get it by halltk1983 · · Score: 1

      World War 3 is coming you know...

      --
      Watch for Penguins, they eat Apples and throw rocks at Windows.
    10. Re:I don't get it by cowlum · · Score: 1

      Im sure there are plenty of other uses but with regards to car paint. Imagine if the paint turned bright Red on a dark wet winters day/night, it would be safer because its easily seen. But then on a hot summers day its a cool looking black or whatever takes your fancy. Another small but helpfull safety asset. Grey cars are hardest to see an therefore most likely hit.

    11. Re:I don't get it by Suidae · · Score: 1

      This is more cheaply addressed by building the proper overhang over windows. Low winter sun shines in, high summer sun does not.

      Might make sense for walls, roofing and pavement though, dark pigment for the winter and light for the summer.

    12. Re:I don't get it by mink · · Score: 1

      I believe there is documentary of this called Megaforce.

      --
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    13. Re:I don't get it by vishbar · · Score: 1

      Hahaha! That was pretty funny, but....it's been 10 days!

      --
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  8. Police car chases by cciRRus · · Score: 3, Interesting

    They have just made police car chases a lot more harder, and interesting as well!

    --
    w00t
    1. Re:Police car chases by emptycorp · · Score: 0

      A sad attempt at trying to be funny and failing as well as being incorrect. Just because getting your car painted in grand theft auto games doesn't mean cops will lose you. If they're chasing you then they already have your license plate #. and since cops are always behind you in a chase, they can still see it.

    2. Re:Police car chases by kimvette · · Score: 1

      It's a damn good thing that license plates can't be swapped for stolen ones, then! ;)

      --
      The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
    3. Re:Police car chases by KDR_11k · · Score: 2, Funny

      Number-changing license plates?

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    4. Re:Police car chases by maxwell+demon · · Score: 1

      You mean the number on your license plate depends on the temperature? Pretty nice idea. Indeed, you could have it just display the current temperature as number. That way, it would also be useful as standalone application. We just have to find a nice name for it ... oh, I know, thermometer! :-)

      --
      The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
  9. Hotwheels: Now in full size! by Ismilar · · Score: 4, Funny

    Anyone remember those Hotwheels toy cars that changed colour with hot and cold water? Or Hypercolour T-shirts? No? I think this technology is a little late for the 80's...

    1. Re:Hotwheels: Now in full size! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I loved those

    2. Re:Hotwheels: Now in full size! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think this technology is a little late for the 80's...

      psst... its no longer the 80's

    3. Re:Hotwheels: Now in full size! by Kadin2048 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Yeah this is exactly what I was going to say. I definitely had a whole set of these things: the changes were pretty dramatic, too. I remember one car could go from dark blue to white in less than a second if you dropped it from warm water into ice water.

      I wonder why this is such a big deal now? Seems like the Hot Wheels guys had it figured out. Maybe their patent just expired?

      I wonder if the paint ever wears out, or stops working after a certain number of cycles or amount of time.

      --
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    4. Re:Hotwheels: Now in full size! by ugo · · Score: 1

      As a kid I put my Hotwheel in the microwave to heat it up, the color has never changed back and the axels are melted.

    5. Re:Hotwheels: Now in full size! by bumptehjambox · · Score: 1
      Hotwheels that change color? Its not THAT simple

      If you had the rest of the set, it may make more sense to you.
      See, on the lower level of the old parking garage playset there's a mock car wash. You would spray cold water on the warm brown Porsche, and it would turn a brilliant yellow!
      Really good stuff, I always fancied the Micro Machines myself, on the count of the interlocking street platforms and the fast-talking spokesman.
      Hypercolour t-shirts, I had the one with the guy who's body would disappear and you'd see only his clothes.

      This is pretty cool and all, but if I had this paint i'd have to wait until April for it to change colour. So cold.

    6. Re:Hotwheels: Now in full size! by miscz · · Score: 1

      Why was it rated funny? It's informative! (I had one of those too :))

    7. Re:Hotwheels: Now in full size! by henni16 · · Score: 1

      I wonder if the paint ever wears out, or stops working after a certain number of cycles or amount of time.

      Since my ebay-infected mother recently dug up our old toy cars to see whether some were in a condition to be sold before giving the rest of them away (there seems to be quite a number of collectors looking for 20 year old Matchbox cars):
      It still works without problems after at least 15 years; though I don't remember using the colorchange more than a couple of "wow, that's cool"-times after I got it back then.

      P.S. Don't expect to get much money for your children's Matchbox cars if they watched movies like "Smokey and the Bandit" or series like "The Fall Guy".. ;-))

    8. Re:Hotwheels: Now in full size! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Heh, I had at least 50 toy cars including a few temperature ones. When I was a kid I'd spend hours using the 'roads' between the slate paving slabs we had on the front of the house.

      I also used to watch Smokey and the Bandit and I'm happy to say quite a few of my cars had rock-to-car impacts to make 'realistic' crash scenes and damge effects. I even had toy ambulance models for the victims. Excellent.

  10. Welcome to the 80's? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I seem to remember having like 30 hotwheels cars that did this

    1. Re:Welcome to the 80's? by themoodykid · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I had a bunch of those, like a Lamborghini Countach that changed from dark purple to pink. I used to put them in the freezer and then took them out to watch the colours change.

  11. Sounds good but... by Capeman · · Score: 2, Interesting

    ...would major car manufacturers use it on their car models?

    1. Re:Sounds good but... by the_humeister · · Score: 1

      They use or have used mica-paint that changes color depending on the angle of observation.

  12. Re:Yes, but I think the real question is... by the_humeister · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Or how about a beow... never mind.

  13. Be on the lookout for... by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 4, Funny

    1 Adam 12, 1 Adam 12...be on the lookout for a GREEN Chevy sedan. Unless its after 6 PM or so....then be on the lookout for a BLUE Chevy sedan.

    1. Re:Be on the lookout for... by OldManAndTheC++ · · Score: 1
      Hmmm, I can see this going one of two directions:

      Scenario One: Bank robbers consult weather reports closely, timing their strikes for optimal camoflauge. Police foiled!

      Scenario Two: Corporate-Fascist government requires all cars to incorporate transceivers that tie into the body of the car, and when police dial in the car's license plate number the color changes to spell out "PULL ME OVER, I AM A CRIMINAL. OH BTW SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL POLICE!"

      --
      Soylent Green is peoplicious!
    2. Re:Be on the lookout for... by bergeron76 · · Score: 1

      Be aware, suspect may also be wearing 80's Hypercolor T-Shirt...

      --
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  14. Possible flaw by MirrororriM · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I forsee one possible flaw with this technology. I am from Michigan and we see hot summers and cold winters. In winter, your hood will be much warmer than the rest of your vehicle due to the engine heat. I would think you would end up with blotches all over your car. In summer, the air conditioning, I would think, would produce similar results.

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    1. Re:Possible flaw by Belseth · · Score: 1

      Some one from my home state. As part of that flaw it'd be an easy way for your neighbors to know you just got home. Also it could form a kind of lie detector if you happen to tell the wife you haven't been out all day yet the car hood is a different color. It's not been an issue so far since humans don't see infared but temperature sensitive paint would convert the heat into a visible form.

    2. Re:Possible flaw by lboxman · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Your wife or nosy neighbor could simply feel the hood to see if the engine was warm.

      --
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    3. Re:Possible flaw by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      In summer, the air conditioning, I would think, would produce similar results.

      Air conditioning won't make the exterior of your car significantly cooler.

      In any case, blotches may be the desired effect: a way to make the hood actually look hot, for example.

    4. Re:Possible flaw by rtaylor · · Score: 1

      It would be neat if you could get a white car in summer and a dark or black car in winter. I wonder what energy savings (if any) could be obtained through something like this.

      --
      Rod Taylor
    5. Re:Possible flaw by Breakfast+Pants · · Score: 1

      I don't know. That would be great for a house, but it seems to me that a white car would be superior overall. Engines rely on heat differential to operate, and additionally in the winter you warm the car to any arbitrarily human withstandable degree with the waste heat of the engine.

      --

      --

      WHO ATE MY BREAKFAST PANTS?
    6. Re:Possible flaw by jitterysquid · · Score: 1

      Since I live in the southern US, I can pay extra to have my car be one solid color 99% of the time? Awesome.

      Although in cold (normal) places, I think temporary "graffiti" with a hair dryer would be neat. Or paste a heating cord behind the door/trunk panels. Flick a switch and the jerk behind you gets to watch a swear word blossom on the back of your car.

    7. Re:Possible flaw by P3NIS_CLEAVER · · Score: 0

      And what happens if you park next to something and half the car is in shadow? I would think that this would look like crap.

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    8. Re:Possible flaw by The+Blue+Knight · · Score: 1

      In Michigan, all cars are one color, anyway: rust!

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    9. Re:Possible flaw by Reziac · · Score: 1

      I want it for my house, for the same reason -- to help heat it in winter and help cool it in summer. As a side bonus, it would let you know where the insulation Needs Improvement. Either put up with a blotchy house, or invest in better insulation -- or sue the yahoo who built your house and lied about the R-38 walls.

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
  15. Wow.. they invented something that already exists. by Torawk · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Well I don't know if it works the same way but there is temp sensitive automotive paint you can buy now:

    http://www.alsacorp.com/products/xposurepaint/xpos urepaint_prodinfo.htm

    -Torawk

  16. Computer cases! by Sandman1971 · · Score: 5, Funny

    A better use of this technology would be to use the paint on computer cases and CPU fans, not cars! Yes, I'm a geek.

    --
    It's better to burn out than to fade away
    1. Re:Computer cases! by pickyouupatnine · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Well.. anything with a temperature regulation requirement. I suppose the question would be, what sort of temperature constraints do these paints work under? Or can they be 'configured' to work under any fixed range?

      --
      _Vishal www.squad9.com
    2. Re:Computer cases! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To see an opportunity like this and not seize it...

    3. Re:Computer cases! by sigloiv · · Score: 1

      Actually, the paint could be used as a tool to help overclockers. Wherever you see brighter colors, you need to add a fan. ;)

      --
      Software is like sex. It's better when it's free. -Linus Torvalds
    4. Re:Computer cases! by jZnat · · Score: 1

      Add a fan? I think you mean `change the liquid helium cooling system'.

      --
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    5. Re:Computer cases! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Already been done; check out Smooth Creations. They use car paint to mod desktops and laptops, and one of their options is the temperature-dependent stuff.

    6. Re:Computer cases! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, I'm a geek.

      A geek! On Slashdot!

      Whatever is the world coming to.

  17. Get it Today by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Coming to a Pay and Spray near you*

    *paint chemists not responsible for dead hookers.

  18. Link Spam? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    The website linked to the poster's name (which I recognised from this post earlier today) says in part "I am officially retiring from trolling Slashdot. Mainly because I am bad at it. However, I will say that it was a good run, and I may one day come back when the game is fixed, however, it is not. So I am retiring. However, i will still submit slashdot articles and get our site on front page."

    The blog that hosts the "original article" shows that to have been posted by "Roland Piquepaille" another name that pops up frequently on the front page of /.

    1. Re:Link Spam? by MDMurphy · · Score: 1

      Getting a story past Zonk is a pretty low bar to make it over.

    2. Re:Link Spam? by allism · · Score: 1

      Not only did he post a blog entry from a known troll on the front page, but the summary posted isn't a summary - it's a straight rip from the first paragraph of the blog entry. So much work must have gone into both the /. article submission and the editing.

      I wish I could get paid so little for doing so much.

  19. Deal of the Century by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They actually did that in the 1983 movie "Deal of the Century"...

    IIRC, Gregory Hines was pissed off at some dude, and caught him in a parking garage. The guy was driving a Firebird with the flame paint job. Gregory Hines said something like, "I like your flame job... I'm gonna give you just a little touch-up," and then torched the car with a flamethrower. Kept repeating "Just a little touch-up" every time he pulled the trigger on it, in a sort-of homage to Donald Pleasance blowing away Issac Hayes at the end of Escape from New York ("You're the Duke!"... [machine gun fire]... "You're the Duke!"... etc).

  20. Viper by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 1

    There was a TV show about a car used by govt spies. It was called the Viper, and besides having cool gadgets and weapons, it could change color. Unfortunately it was cancelled pretty quick. I liked the idea, tho.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viper_(TV_series)

    1. Re:Viper by zippthorne · · Score: 1

      Pretty quick? it ran for four seasons. Pretty good for a glorified car commercial that basically just copied Knight Rider.

      --
      Can you be Even More Awesome?!
    2. Re:Viper by the_humeister · · Score: 1

      It had a run of 4 seasons. Doesn't seem that quick. A lot more shows get canned earlier than that.

  21. Police departments will complain by bogaboga · · Score: 1

    The police will complain once these cars finally become readily available. You see, a criminal could commit a crime in the Texas heat as an example. This criminal then drives a few hundred kilometers north where the temperatiures are cooler and viola, what was a red truck is now purple with stripes! What follows is chaos!

    1. Re:Police departments will complain by JavaTHut · · Score: 1

      Not really ... "All units, be on the alert for the one car in the city that actually bought that funky German hypercolor paint color."

    2. Re:Police departments will complain by keraneuology · · Score: 1

      On Knight Rider the bad guy escaped from Michael and KITT because he had painted his car using water-based paint and simply drove through a car wash - he then drove right by KITT's rear view mirror but since the sensors only detect color (on cars that are out of visual range????) he got away. I also recall a similar gag used in Canonball Run (one of them), and CHiPS.

      --
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  22. Colors that attract heat by aussie_a · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This could be used to change the car to a color that attracts heat when it's cold, and repels heat when it's hot. It might help somewhat with the heat and cold, but would the particles add more heat so the heat repelling functions don't really work? I'm thinking no, as I believe it happens on a micro-level, but I could be wrong.

    1. Re:Colors that attract heat by kertong · · Score: 1

      I wonder - would the heat from the engine bay cause the front (or rear) of the car to be a different color from the rear of the car?

    2. Re:Colors that attract heat by aussie_a · · Score: 1

      That's a good point. I assumed it worked by sufficient lightrays hitting it, but it probably does work on heat, not light. Perhaps they could make the front part need a higher level of heat? But then it would look strange when not turned on.

    3. Re:Colors that attract heat by laughing_badger · · Score: 1
      color that attracts heat...heat repelling functions

      Where is the -5: No basis in real world physics when you need it.

      Yes, you could make the car black to absorb more photons, or white to reflect more, but this isn't going to magically turn into some form of climate control.

      --
      Help children born unable to swallow - www.tofs.org.uk
    4. Re:Colors that attract heat by Reziac · · Score: 1

      Shhh! Don't you know that weird notions about basic physics are how we spot the aliens from other dimensions??

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
    5. Re:Colors that attract heat by aussie_a · · Score: 1

      Yes, you could make the car black to absorb more photons, or white to reflect more

      Which was exactly my point. I added very little more, and I have no idea where you read "magical climate control" in my post. If photons are absorbed, the car will heat up a bit more then if they were reflected. I'm not saying this will be all that's needed for a nice temperature, merely that it can help.

  23. Coming soon... by winkydink · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...to a a Type-R near you. Huge rear wing that applies downforce to the wrong wheels optional.

    --

    "I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey

    1. Re:Coming soon... by TubeSteak · · Score: 1

      If Ricers were really smart, they'd put huge truck sized bug-deflectors on their rides for the extra downforce.

      Cause we know that they're going fast enough that they need the extra downforce to prevent high-speed lift...

      --
      [Fuck Beta]
      o0t!
    2. Re:Coming soon... by SoupIsGoodFood_42 · · Score: 1

      It's not the wrong wheels. Look at WTCC or BTCC races. Pretty much all the FWD cars have a rear spoiler. It prevents the rear-end sliding out. It's just that it has less of an effect on-power compared to a RWD or 4WD. But when the power is off, and weight is transfered to the front, the rear wheels will still want to switch ends.

    3. Re:Coming soon... by cjanota · · Score: 1

      If a FWD car needs a rear wing to keep the back wheels in place, then the engineer doesn't know how to properly design/tune a suspension or they are using horrible tires.

      --
      You can fix anything with duct tape and sticks.
    4. Re:Coming soon... by Dachannien · · Score: 2, Informative

      This seriously riced out link goes out to all the people who don't know what the parent post was talking about.

    5. Re:Coming soon... by cjanota · · Score: 1

      Murphy says "Don't put fragile things like inner-coolers outside of a crush zone." I can't believe they would do that to any car, let alone a classic mustang. What a crime.

      --
      You can fix anything with duct tape and sticks.
    6. Re:Coming soon... by SoupIsGoodFood_42 · · Score: 1
      Oh, and you are so much better than most of the racing mechanics in the World Touring Car Championship?

      Anyone making such remarks doesn't really know anything about real-world car dynamics.

    7. Re:Coming soon... by SoupIsGoodFood_42 · · Score: 1

      OK. There we go. Are you trying to rell me that the Alfa Romeo team in the WTCC don't know what they are doing, or that they though that they were too fast so decided to whack a rear wing on the back to create some aerodynamic drag? Take a look at the other photos on that site (from the gallery link on the homepage) and you will notice that pretty much all the FWD cars have a rear wing.

    8. Re:Coming soon... by sharkey · · Score: 1
      If Ricers were really smart...

      Then they wouldn't be ricers, would they?

      --

      --
      "Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
    9. Re:Coming soon... by winkydink · · Score: 1

      Looks like his front wheel is in the air to me.

      --

      "I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey

    10. Re:Coming soon... by cbiltcliffe · · Score: 1

      Maybe it's a case of:

      Yo boyz!! Got no room for da oyl-coolah unda da hood, wat wit all my f$%^ing turboz!!

      --
      "City hall" in German is "Rathaus" Kinda explains a few things......
    11. Re:Coming soon... by SoupIsGoodFood_42 · · Score: 1
  24. Problems with the Police? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Criminals running won't even have to run to the local safe house anymore to get a paint job , just a quick stop into the carwash or a few buckets of icewater and that green toyota they were chasin is now blue.

    1. Re:Problems with the Police? by Jeng · · Score: 1

      Saw the same thing in Cannonball run.

      Started out as a white lamborghini, hit some water, then was red. Watercolors have been around for quite some time.

      As for the Temp based stuff, people have made enough comments for me to not be redundent.

      --
      Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
  25. parking lot by lposeidon · · Score: 5, Funny

    its hard enough to find my car in a parking lot when it has normal paint. imagine trying to find your car when it changed colors. its down right impossible.

    --
    Lizard "Never let them set limits on your mind!"
    1. Re:parking lot by HermanAB · · Score: 1

      More likely, the colour will change in splotches. Cars have serious hot spots and with low sun angles, the solar warming will be uneven too.

      --
      Oh well, what the hell...
    2. Re:parking lot by wcleveland · · Score: 1

      you can always just install an alarm system on your car and walk around trying to set it off. or at least this works until all of the other shoppers in the lot are doing this.

    3. Re:parking lot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You think that's bad; wait until I paint a whole parking garage with this stuff!

    4. Re:parking lot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "What color is your car?"

      I don't know.

  26. Gives a whole new meaning to the term "hot car"... by Zhe+Mappel · · Score: 4, Funny

    The job of a car thief is hard enough without also having to consult the Weather Channel for opportune times to strike. ;-)

  27. Temperature based cosmetics? by boss+soul · · Score: 2, Funny

    How would this work, exactly?

    "Wow Carol... that new rouge really looks nice on you!"

    "Thanks for noticing, Sue - but it only looks nice when the temperature is below 75 degrees... any warmer than that and I'd look like a total whore!"

    1. Re:Temperature based cosmetics? by nortcele · · Score: 1

      I'm thinking that color changing cosmetics could change things quite a bit.
      Phrases like, "That chick really looks hot!" could take on a totally new meaning.

      Women going into menopause would have to avoid these cosmetics. Otherwise they
      might have an embarrassing "strobe" effect.

  28. Now, where did I park my car again? by Boccaccio · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Damn - I have trouble remembering where I parked my car at the best of times. If it's gonna start changing colour too then I'm really screwed!

  29. waiting for it to be *wearable*...like for babies by passingNotes.com · · Score: 1

    now that would be cool...and seriously, imagine how useful this could be..for example, really really really stupid parents could put bathing suits on the fruit of their loins and then just visually scan for major color changes (excluding the natural yellows and browns ;) - then they could get 'em outta the sun before they crisp up or wash out from too much sun... or for my dogs maybe, like a collar that lets you know if it's wicked cold in boston - in case you're so cold and dumb that you'll forget to know it's cold unless you look at your dog. are you following me? this won't work for very small dogs, they get cold very easily.

    --
    enjoy life, and Gmail.pro
  30. Certainly not going to be used in cars by DreadPiratePizz · · Score: 1

    I can tell you this WON'T be used in cars anytime soon. I recall at the Society of Automotive engineers seeing a similar paint that changed colour depending on the angle you viewed it at. In addition to being ridiculously expensive, it was later decided you couldn't paint your car with it, since it would complicate things if law enforcement needed to locate your car.

    1. Re:Certainly not going to be used in cars by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That is known as Chamelon Paint, and is used in cars. It is merely riduculously expensive compared to other colors you can paint your car. But it is not so abnormal as you make it, I see at least one every day and I live in a semi-large city.

    2. Re:Certainly not going to be used in cars by Dreamstalker_wolf · · Score: 1

      Iridescent paint? I actually saw a car with that paint job (I think the base color was some sort of pink/purple) on a freeway in MA over the summer. Interesting, but on an extremely bright day (as that day was) I could see where the problem lies...accident rate due to rubbernecking would increase drastically in the region of the car itself.

    3. Re:Certainly not going to be used in cars by TubeSteak · · Score: 1

      I don't know about law enforcement, but there was a local guy who owned a mustang painted with green-to-purple paint... damn that thing was ugly.

      Must have cost him a pretty penny, but it was ugly.

      --
      [Fuck Beta]
      o0t!
    4. Re:Certainly not going to be used in cars by falcon5768 · · Score: 2, Informative

      In addition to being ridiculously expensive, it was later decided you couldn't paint your car with it, since it would complicate things if law enforcement needed to locate your car bullshit, they use that paint all the time on cars. you can even buy it in a spraycan now.

      --

      "Slashdot, where telling the truth is overrated but lying is insightful."

    5. Re:Certainly not going to be used in cars by rbinns · · Score: 1

      DuPont sells it also as Chromalusion. Saleen offers it as a paint option on new Mustangs (I have seen one, it is a beautiful thing).

    6. Re:Certainly not going to be used in cars by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ummm, yeah, they have irridescent paints on cars already. Do try to keep up.

    7. Re:Certainly not going to be used in cars by GraemeDonaldson · · Score: 1

      That's not a problem with the paint job, it's a problem with the driver/s who should be watching the road and not rubbernecking.

      --
      I think, therefore I am. I think?
    8. Re:Certainly not going to be used in cars by cjanota · · Score: 1

      Yeah, SAE would have nothing to do with the regulation of this type of paint for law enforcement reasons. That is up to the government, not SAE.

      --
      You can fix anything with duct tape and sticks.
    9. Re:Certainly not going to be used in cars by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seriously guys. Out of all the new fancy terms that I've seen here today, "rubbernecking" has got to be the worst. It's even lamer than "spear phishing."

  31. more importantly by gadzook33 · · Score: 1

    This could lead to new shimmering car finishes which can change with temperature or humidity, new cosmetics, but more importantly, to new applications in optical data processing

    but more importantly, to new shimmering car finishes.

  32. Car Finishes? by .darkaiyen. · · Score: 1
    This could lead to new shimmering car finishes which can change with temperature or humidity, new cosmetics, but more importantly, to new applications in optical data processing"
    For some reason they decided that the car finishes application of this tech made a better headline than the part about optical data processing?
  33. Pretty data processing by MarkRose · · Score: 1

    new cosmetics, but more importantly, to new applications in optical data processing How can you tell a geek submitted this? Women could look prettier, but no, optical data processing is far more interesting.

    --
    Be relentless!
  34. How to make money. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    1. Develop new automotive paint that changes colors.
    2. Pay to have featured episode on MTV's "Pimp My Ride" with said paint.
    3. Sell to all people who want to "pimp their ride"
    4. PROFIT!

  35. Terrahawks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Didn't Kate Kestrel's car do this?

  36. Nice armpits by Leviathant · · Score: 1

    The hypercolor shirts from the 80s sure sounded neat in theory, but in practice, it basically accentuated your sweaty bits. Likewise, if this is put to use on cars, you'll probably end up with a hood that's a different color from the rest of the car. awesome.

    --
    I am Leviathant and I approve this message.
  37. Where'd I put that car? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So now after a cold winter night I go looking for my silver car, and I can't find it because it's now BLUE. Great!

  38. Been there, done that! by Descalzo · · Score: 2, Funny

    My car has that paint! It's activated by salt on the winter roads and other things. I've had to wait a long time for the colors to change, but there is a sort of reddish-brown highlight effect behind the tires, at the tip of the hood, and above the windsheild, surrounded by a drab gray halo, then the silver-gray regular color of the car. It looks pretty amazing!

    --
    I cried real tears when Li Mu Bai died.
  39. With this ... by l00k · · Score: 1

    Wow a life-sized version of a HotWheels car I owned as a kid, one that changed from red when warmed, to white when cooled. So I left it in the fridge for a few days and it never reverted back to red ever again.

    So don't place your ion bombarded car in your fridge (for too long).

    1. Re:With this ... by binaryspiral · · Score: 1

      So don't place your ion bombarded car in your fridge (for too long).

      Well, Foxcast tells me that it's 40 degrees colder outside than in my fridge... so my ion bombarded car is pretty much screwed. :(

    2. Re:With this ... by l00k · · Score: 1
      Well, Foxcast tells me that it's 40 degrees colder outside than in my fridge... so my ion bombarded car is pretty much screwed. :(

      : ) When did Fox ever report something that was true?

    3. Re:With this ... by binaryspiral · · Score: 1

      oh snap! ... Forecastfox, my bad... sorry Jon Stritar and Richard Klein, didn't mean to compare your ultra useful FireFox plugin with Fox news. :(

  40. Alternative Automotive by Associate · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Paint parts of the car engine. I wouldn't mind knowing that when my intake manifold turns from white to red that it is at normal operating temperature. But if it should happen to turn purple, it's running too hot.

    --
    Someone hates these cans.
    1. Re:Alternative Automotive by rbinns · · Score: 2, Interesting

      This would actually be a practical use of this paint. In racing, when a team needs to quickly diagnose an engine problem clearly as a result of a bad cylinder (bad spark plug), they will put chalk streaks on the headers and see which one melts the slowest, thus pointing to the problem. If they could create a powder coat with the same properties and paint even a small part of the headers, one could visually inspect for misfiring cylinders and, if controlled well enough, could quantify cylinder-to-cylinder variations visually.

    2. Re:Alternative Automotive by `NS · · Score: 5, Informative

      According to a friend of mine, helicopter mechanic, they already do this to some degree. The gearbox for the tailrotor is painted with a paint which will change colours if it is goes over the maximum allowable temperature. It does not change back to its original colour after cooling down.

    3. Re:Alternative Automotive by ballpoint · · Score: 1

      The strip is known as a 'telatemp', after the company who makes it.

      --
      Flourescent (adj): smelling like ground wheat.
  41. Re:we had this years ago and it was crap then too. by kholburn · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yeah: hypercolor shirts that changed colour when you changed temperature - showed where you were sweaty etc.

    A car that has a big red splotch on the bonnet just above the engine when it warms up.

    That's got to be useful for something, NOT.

  42. Ohh! paint! screw the car! by ThePengwin · · Score: 1

    It would have better use in computers :P

    If your case is LITTERALLY glowing red there is definatly something wrong :P

  43. Re:Yes, but I think the real question is... by hdparm · · Score: 1

    Not too clever, indeed. Just a bad troll-wannabe - gets story published, makes the first post. Come to think of it, you must be Zonk.

  44. Wow... welcome back to two decades ago by illumina+us · · Score: 2, Informative

    Didn't they have similar paint on toy cars in the 80s and 90s?

    --
    -illumina+us "I put on my robe and wizard hat..."
    1. Re:Wow... welcome back to two decades ago by nurhussein · · Score: 1

      Oh yeah, I had one. Hot Wheels I think. If I rummage through my old boxes I think I can still find it.

  45. intercoolers & radiators by doubtless · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Actually this might be useful if it's coated on radiators or intercoolers for testing and comparison purposes. You can visually inspect the efficiency of the product.

    --
    geek page at KY speaks
    1. Re:intercoolers & radiators by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's more likely to reduce the efficiency of a radiator. Paint isn't a good termal conductor like metal is.

  46. what are you thinking? by penguin-collective · · Score: 1

    but more importantly, to new applications in optical data processing"

    You can't be serious. Obviously, car paint that changes with temperature is far more important than new applications in optical data processing. I mean, people won't be able to identify my beat up Corvette when I'm speeding because its paint will be red when I'm going 100mph and the engine is hot, and it will be blue when I park it.

    (For the humor impaired: I don't speed and I don't drive a Corvette, OK?)

  47. Same old game... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    How long has Roland Piquepaille been working for ZDNet? Is this news to anyone but me?

  48. Re:Wow.. they invented something that already exis by Ravadill · · Score: 1

    A local car spray shop has been advertising heat sensitive paint jobs for at least the last 5 years (mainly for bikes and smaller sports cards probably due to cost) the paint is a usually a metallic purple on warm days, and goes a green or blue when the engine heats it up or if left in direct sunlight. I can't really see anything that makes this any different.

  49. In Megaforce. by www.sorehands.com · · Score: 1
    They had this in the movie Megaforce.
    The "Q" type character demonstrated this by putting placing a green hat on a dessert vehicle.

    It would be dial to be based on voltage and frequency so that you can change your car's color by selection.

    1. Re:In Megaforce. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      dessert vehicle? I recommended you don't eat any form of vehicular transport for dessert.

  50. Rust Color? by gunner23_98 · · Score: 1

    The question is that after 10 years will it automatically turn rust colored to match the holes?

    --
    Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.
  51. "Changing color due to humidity" by Nova+Express · · Score: 3, Funny
    Cars can already change color due to humidity. It's called "rust". Look for this amazing shade in the 1974 Ford Pinto, or the 1989 Yugo.

    --
    Lawrence Person (lawrencepersonh@gmailh.com (remove all "h"s to mail)

    http://www.lawrenceperson.com/

  52. Old news by Sepper · · Score: 2, Funny

    Color changes with temperature or humidity?
    Bah! We already have that up north... and it's free... it's called 'snow'

    --
    I live in Soviet Canuckistan you insensitive clod!
  53. news? by LinuxRulz · · Score: 1

    When I was younger, some 15 years ago, I had miniature cars. I had some using that "new technology". They would change from grey to orange when holding them, just by the heat of my hands. And when submerged in cold water, they would become blue, almost like if the water was dissolving the paint. It was fun at that time. I wonder why only now we use that paint for cars.

  54. Or Piquepaille. by pavon · · Score: 1

    Notice that the story is not a normal zdnet story, it is a zdnet blog, posted by none other than Ronald Piquepaille. And the on poster's website he admits to being a troll-wannabe, who gets stories posted just to drum up traffic for his site.

    I don't really care; I figure most of the stories that get submitted to the slashdot editors come with ulterior motives. I also wouldn't be surprised if there are people who intentionally resubmit every story after a while to see how many dups make it onto the front page.

    However, I thought it was interesting, and figured posting about it would give the people who do care something to get fumed up about :)

  55. Look closer. by pavon · · Score: 1

    This is not ZDNet news. It is ZDNet blogs. They look very simular, and have raised arguments here before about blogs being passed off as news, and whether there is any difference given the state of journalism.

    But anyway, no he isn't working for them, he just moved his blog.

    1. Re:Look closer. by damsa · · Score: 1

      If you click on related science articles, it leads you to Piquepaille's del.icio.us site, clicking on one of those links, it leads you to Piquepaille's blog.

    2. Re:Look closer. by damsa · · Score: 1

      Here is the link to http://www.primidi.com/. If you click, you can see that Roland has done a more thorough job on the Zdnet post, than the same info on his site.

  56. Hypercolor by RMB2 · · Score: 1

    I'm clearly not the first to post about the parallels with 80's T-shirt technology, but....

    I think it's interesting that the Hypercolor wikipdeia article

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypercolor

    makes specific mention of pH opening and closing lactone rings. If I'm not mistaken this is the exact same color-changing technology that made "colored bubbles" possible (previously mentioned TWICE on /.)

    http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/11/1 7/2250259&tid=159&tid=14
    http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/11/2 3/0638216&tid=159&tid=14

    Apparently that color-changing science should not have been NEARLY so elusive as it was to the guy in his kitchen. Now real scientists have applied it to every body and their brothers' Supra, sweet.

    --
    [/sarcasm]
  57. :P by sqwishy · · Score: 0

    i had a little toy car about 5 years ago that would do that ... if you put it in ice water it would turn blue, and when you took it out and warmed it up it would go back to bright green ...

  58. Naill Polish by erica_ann · · Score: 1

    It actually reminds me of the colour changing nail polish... changes (and mood rings) to the different colours. ... and the pencils too.. ;) As for Hypercolour T shirts... mine changed from Green to Yellow ;)

    1. Re:Naill Polish by narcc · · Score: 2, Funny
      As for Hypercolour T shirts... mine changed from Green to Yellow

      My T-shrit changed from white to yellow -- but I couldn't get it to change back...
  59. Re:Gives a whole new meaning to the term "hot car" by ksheff · · Score: 1

    or bring along some liquid cold enough to force a color change.

    --
    the good ground has been paved over by suicidal maniacs
  60. A Snapshot of Slashdot Tabloidism by Shishberg · · Score: 1
    From the summary:

    This could lead to new shimmering car finishes which can change with temperature or humidity, new cosmetics, but more importantly, to new applications in optical data processing.

    From the title:

    Science: Car Paint Changes With Temperature
    Posted by Zonk on Monday December 05, @02:41PM
    from the ooo-shiny dept.
    Optical data processing shmoptical data processing.
  61. oh man, but won't it be great to see... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    a redneck's face when his december-purchased dark blue pickup turns to fuchsia in April... *sadistic grin*

  62. Polka-dots! by Malduin · · Score: 2, Funny

    Imagine a cold rain on a warm hood...

  63. and you'd see it when? by YesIAmAScript · · Score: 1

    Do you have your hood up a lot?

    I guess you could put a camera under there to see the color.

    Or you could just put a temperature sensor on there (with alarm) instead. It's cheaper.

    BTW, intake manifolds should run pretty much at ambient. You want cool air into your engine, and a hot intake manifold would run counter to that. Additionally, intake manifolds are naturally cooled by the cool air coming in.

    Exhaust manifolds get got.

    --
    http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
    1. Re:and you'd see it when? by Lihtan · · Score: 1

      ...Additionally, intake manifolds are naturally cooled by the cool air coming in...

      Actually intake manifolds tend to act as heatsinks for the cylinder head. With your engine at operating temperature, you'd likely burn your hand if you held it against the intake manifold for too long.

      In my own vehicle I made a plastic insulator gasket that fits between the intake manifold and the cylinder head. The end result is my intake manifold actually remains cold when the engine is at operating temperature.

      --
      Divide by zero hurts my brain.
    2. Re:and you'd see it when? by Associate · · Score: 1

      Yes. I have my hood up a lot. The truck is 22 years old.

      I was thinking more specifically to my application/problem.
      The intake/exhaust manifolds on my truck are stacked.
      I had a problem with the carbureator getting too hot for a while.
      I fixed that problem but discovered a few others.
      Currently, my number five cylinder has a vacuum leak between the intake/exhaust and the head.
      I figure with my specific setup, I could probably tell if one cylinder was getting cooler/hotter mixture/exhaust by the color difference on the intake, which is on top.
      Otherwise, yes the exhaust would make more sense.
      Of course such a 'feature' would show the variation in heat for each cylinder.
      And it would look cool.

      --
      Someone hates these cans.
  64. Great Idea!! by IchBinEinPenguin · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Make your car even harder to find in the carpark!

  65. Will It Lose Bounce? by superchi · · Score: 1

    Every time I've seen any heat-sensitive color changing technology used (Hot Wheels, Hypercolor T-Shirts, G.I. Joes, etc) the range of color always diminishes over time. Has this kink been worked out yet?

    I'd be more interested for the glass in the cars to change tint in heat or brightness like some types of eye glasses do. I haven't seen this yet, but maybe it exists already.

  66. Cross winds by threedognit3 · · Score: 1

    I'm sticking my penis out here....see any gold platin'???

  67. Dye tech by Heembo · · Score: 1

    Womderful - there has been a breakthrough in dye technology recently that is very similar to this new paint tech. http://www.zubbles.com/ - Check out the popular science on the decade long search to make colored bubbles and the depth they had to go to find the dye tech breakthrough to do this! Fastinating!

    --
    Horns are really just a broken halo.
  68. New car finishes? by ShyGuy91284 · · Score: 1

    I fail to see how this is that new. I remember seeing a PT cruiser outside of my HS when i was maybe a sophmore and was wondering if I was going crazy since it looked like it had two colors (due to sunlight hitting parts of it). and I'm now a junior in college. So yeah, this has been around for a while...

    --
    In undeveloped countries, the consumer controls the market. In capitalist America, the market controls you.
  69. Will it be pretty? by cra · · Score: 1

    I guess that depends on taste. It will probably look weird when your engine heats up and the hood on your car starts to develop a green spot on it. Or how about that "ass-print" where you sat while bragging to your friends about this fancy new paint job you've got. ;-)

    However, I see nothing new in cars that change colors by temperature? My kids have had cars that change colors by temperature for a long time. They even have toothbrushes that change colors when the temperature change.

    --
    This message has been ROT-13 encrypted twice for higher security.
  70. Thermochromic Paint by Lihtan · · Score: 2, Informative

    This is called thermochromic paint, and it's been available on the market for a while now.

    Here's a company that sells thermochromic paint, their website has pictures and even videos of the color changing in effect:
    http://www.trippininc.com

    --
    Divide by zero hurts my brain.
  71. On second thought... by AngelofDeath-02 · · Score: 1

    Well, I was origionally writing a post detailing adding weight to the rear as a sollution. Then it dawned on me. Front wheel drive cars have a tendancy to understeer, not oversteer. Rear wheel grip is a non issue because they do nothing but roll, while the front must turn approximately 80% of the weight as well as apply forward force and resistance.

    The CRX is also a front wheel drive car with an obscenely high skidpad rating. So you're right. If a FWD car has a tendancy for the rear end to slide, the engineer/driver is to blame.

    --
    No, I am not an English major. My posts are subject to typos and incorrect grammar. Do not expect perfection.
    1. Re:On second thought... by SoupIsGoodFood_42 · · Score: 1
      A FWD car has a tendency to understeer on power. Off power, it's all up to the weight distrubution, which probably still does put more weight over the front than a non FWD car, but that is different to main cause of the understeering characteristics of a FWD car since weight distrubution can easly be changed and varys from car to car anyway.

      To say that the rear wheels do nothing but roll is a load of bollocks. 20% is a lot in racing. Not having the rear-end setup properly can give you a car who's ass will skate around the place.

      Yes, a FWD car that has a tendency to have the rear slide out as much as a RWD car that is pretty much equal otherwise, probably isn't setup correctly. But that still doesn't change the fact that the rear end of a FWD still can slide out, and since racing cars are always driving on the limits of traction (amoungst other things), then it can become a problem, hence they put wings on the rear.

      They don't play as a critical roll as a RWD, but they still play a roll in the handling of a racing car. It should be obvious to anyone who has a real knoledge of car dynamics that this is the case.

  72. On Importance by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "This could lead to new shimmering car finishes which can change with temperature or humidity, new cosmetics, but more importantly, to new applications in optical data processing"

    Who are you to tell us what is more important?

  73. already done by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There was a Mustang SVT Cobra special edition, that did this in like 93/94.

  74. Re:Wow.. they invented something that already exis by shotgunefx · · Score: 1

    More importantly, does it share the limited lifespan of Eclipse and Xposure coatings? I think they "wear out" after a year or so.

    --

    -William Shatner can be neither created nor destroyed.
  75. parking lot confusion by loveboat · · Score: 1

    good luck finding your car at the mall now..

    --
    /* it's never to late to give up */
  76. I can barely... by Jeffus · · Score: 0

    find my car in the parking lot as it is--and it doesn't change color day to day.

  77. White for summertime & yellow for fog by Rick17JJ · · Score: 1

    During the summer, when it is 110 degrees F. outside here in Arizona, I would want a white car or truck because it best reflects heat. During the winter, I would prefer beige because dirt does not show up as well on beige paint. When humidity is extremely high I would like the car to be yellow or lime/yellow so that it could best be seen in fog, rain or snow. Surprisingly, red is hard to see at night or in fog and that is why so many fire trucks are now yellow or lime colored in recent years. It used to be that all fire trucks were red before they realized that red was so hard to see red at night or in fog.

    At night I would prefer white, yellow or lime/yellow which shows up best at night. Perhaps they could also make their paint change color at night by detecting darkness by responding to the lack of ultraviolet light at night. At no time would I ever want a grey car because they are the same color as asphalt and it is harder to see them coming. Do people that drive grey cars ever notice a problem with people pulling out right in front of them?

    Someone else has already commented on the problem of police looking for a certain car and not not knowing what color car to look for. Another person has also commented on the fact that some portions of the car such as the engine compartment would be warmer and be a different temperature. Under certain conditions we would end up with odd two tone patterns. That might be OK.

    The paint has been peeling off of my 4WD truck in recent years. Please have this product available in time to be used when I have my truck repainted. At the moment the bare siver steel portions don't look too bad and in the Arizona climate bare steel does not rust even after several years of exposure on the road.

  78. not just the 80s by commodoresloat · · Score: 2, Funny

    remember mood rings? Just imagine mood cars! Show the world your road rage as your car turns a fiery angry reddish-purple...

    1. Re:not just the 80s by meringuoid · · Score: 1
      Show the world your road rage as your car turns a fiery angry reddish-purple...

      How delightfully Freudian.

      --
      Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
  79. Strange by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Seems he is a bit late ? There has been a simpeler 'pimp-my-car' program in the netherlands recently where they pimped a car with this 'technique'.... if you put your hand on the paint the paint collors the shape of your hand and u can see it, although it wasn't a very nice look when the car was running since the hood of the engine discolored because of this when driving......

  80. that reminds me by Errtu76 · · Score: 1

    of those toy cars i used to have when i was a kid. There were ones you held in warm water (or press with warm hands) and they would change color for a short period of time.

  81. "I would like to report a stolen car..." by fluor2 · · Score: 1

    "Hello? Police? I would like to report a stolen Volvo V405. The car was yellow when it was stolen, but it can also be green, blue and red."

  82. Yeah great... by mrjb · · Score: 1

    ...Now where did I leave my previously red car on the parking lot?

    --
    Visit http://ringbreak.dnd.utwente.nl/~mrjb/growingbettersoftware to download your free copy of the book
  83. This would be illegal in NL by Animaether · · Score: 1

    Your car's registration includes the base color of your car (I'm not sure what percentage is required - but basically if it is perceived as blue, then your car is registered as being blue, even if you've got yellow and red flames on the hood).

    If you have your car painted another color, you have to declare this and get your registration updated.

    If the color doesn't match what the registration says, you can be fined.

    A car which would change color frequently, such as due to temperature, would thus more than likely get you into trouble - at least until legislation allows for the registration to note two colors, under specific conditions, or something like that... or that bit gets dropped entirely, which is unlikely; law enforcement for example will be on the look-out for a car of a certain model in a certain color

  84. This could lead to ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "This could lead to [...] new cosmetics, but more importantly, to new applications in optical data processing"

    more importantly??? HELLO darlings?

  85. Bah by Sippan · · Score: 1

    Is this news? I had a car like that 10 years ago.

    Sadly, it crashed into a raspberry bush at 1 km/h. At least I got out of it with only a few scratches.

    --
    Frog blast the vent core.
  86. erm.. so whats new about this? by Arcan3 · · Score: 1

    this company has been selling that paint for ages... they even have a mood ring one! http://www.alsacorp.com/

  87. Data Processing? by endr · · Score: 1

    but more importantly, to new applications in optical data processing

    Optical Data Processing? Oh, I get it. Now we can just paint a peice of plywood with it, and shine the end of a fiber optic cable on that, and actually see the information.

  88. The blurb reads differently somewhere by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    On a ricer/tuner's equivalent to slashdot...

    This could lead to new applications in optical data processing, but more importantly, to new shimmering car finishes which can change with temperature or humidity.

  89. Speeding tickets by berryvanhalderen · · Score: 1

    I would love this, speaking from the country with the most automated speeding camera's in the world (Netherlands, probably in absolute numbers even the most). These photo's are only valid if it is your car in the photo. If the paint color doesn't match the specified color in the car registration: invalid ticket. And if the police stops by your house to check the car, its cooled down, so no ticket for an invalid registration. But there probably make some rule, for this too (america might have most lawyers, where sick of the civil cervants making rules for everything).

  90. So, how exactly..? by Sigg3.net · · Score: 0

    How, exactly, would you find your car in the parking lot, then?

  91. Parked at the shopping by bogado · · Score: 1

    Now you got to check the weather before searching for your lost car in the mall.

    "I wonder what color my car is today..."

    --
    []'s Victor Bogado da Silva Lins

    ^[:wq

  92. like a mood ring! by jaimz22 · · Score: 1

    so it's like a mood ring for my car, so i'll be able to tell when my car is sad or horney!?

  93. Cool/hot.... mood cars... by 3seas · · Score: 1

    ... like the mood ring...

    But does it tell you its horny too?

  94. Good Luck Getting it Plated by Kamiza+Ikioi · · Score: 1

    I don't know how each and every municipality handles car registration and plating. But, where I live, if you paint your car a different color than what is on the registration, you must update the registration or face fines/impoundment. If the cop looks up your plates, and it says red, but he sees blue... he's going to pull you over. This will keep happening until you A) lose your car, or B) a court decides in your favor that you somehow have the legal right to have "mood paint". I highly doubt B will happen. I've seen enough problems with friends back in high school trying to defend window tint (only to be forced by a cop to rip it out right there on the spot).

    Courts rarely seem favor the car modifier when arguments of public safety and the needs of law enforcement to do their jobs are in question. Accommodating the driver's taste in paint is not on the court's priority list. Accurate registrations for law enforcement would outweigh taste. You're about as likely to convince a judge you can legally use Spray-On Mud ( http://www.wired.com/news/autotech/0,2554,67794,00 .html ) around/near your license plate or windows.

    --
    I8-D
    1. Re:Good Luck Getting it Plated by Thomas+Shaddack · · Score: 1

      Easy. Stop, switch off the engine, politely insist the car is red until the car cools down and becomes red. (Difficult in hot summer, but if you are patient enough, you can wait it until the evening.)

      In case of a lawsuit, all that is needed is to show the judge your blue car, already well-cooled at the moment your case gets to the schedule of the day.

      Electrochromic paint, where the color can be changed electronically, will be more interesting here.

  95. Parking by ribblem · · Score: 1

    Wife: Where did you park honey?

    Husband: Um, I think over there some where. Can you check your thermometer so we know what color the car is today?

  96. Psst.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    your humor detector is broken, jackass.

  97. Police searching for... by toonworld · · Score: 1
    Dispatcher: All points bulletin. Be on the lookout for the following car:

    0-10 degrees celcius: Black

    11-15 degrees celcius: Blue

    16-20 degrees celcius: Purple

    21-25 degrees celcius: Dark Red

    26-30 degrees celcius: Bright Red

    31-50 degrees celcius: fuschia

    Police Patrol: Dammit, the dispatcher is high again!

    --
    It's not the destination that matters, but rather the journey.
  98. Registrations by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It is possible that this type of paint would end up banned by state registration policy. I would hope so at any rate.

  99. This is old news... by bynary · · Score: 1

    Shoot, I had matchbox cars when I was a kid that changed color when they were put in hot or cold water and this was in the late eighties (they were probably around before then). These German engineers should have talked to Mattel. They could have saved millions on research...

    --
    http://www.bynarystudio.com
  100. A Practical Use For the Mood Car... by corellon13 · · Score: 1

    would be to help avoid Road Rage. Just avoid the pissed off cars until the cops can come drag them to a happy place : )

    --
    Do what is right and let the consequence follow
  101. yes, cooled heatsinks.. by YesIAmAScript · · Score: 1

    They do soak heat from the block. But the constant inflow of cool air takes most of the heat away. As to burning my hand on one, I couldn't say, it depends on the engine. But do note that the intake manifolds on nearly all recent cars is now made of plastic. High-density-polypropelene often. That's literally the same as garbage bags, and I'm sure you know that polyproplene doesn't tolerate much heat at all, I'd be surprised if you could burn your hand on it before it became soft to the touch.

    As to your plastic spacer, it will do virtually nothing. Your intake manifold cannot remain completely cold in a closed space that is hot. Some heat from nearby parts is emited as infrared radiation, and it will hit your intake manifold and heat it up some. Furthermore take a little class in thermodynamics and see how much insulating power a thin gasket which is under compression (and thus has no insulating airspaces in it) is worth in insulation.

    I challenge you to do some actual tests on your intake manifold. Like I did with my Xbox 360 http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=169465&cid=141 24290.

    I think you'll find in good testing that the reduction in heat soak into the intake manifold under normal conditions is insignificant. If it weren't, the manufacturer would have put in a spacer themselves, gained HP or MPG and reaped the rewards from CAFE regulations or in the free market.

    --
    http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
  102. Re:we had this years ago and it was crap then too. by thatshortkid · · Score: 1

    That's got to be useful for something, NOT.

    it's still 1993? you know, i hear these "troll dolls" are supposed to be all the rage nowadays...

    --
    The IRS is the one organization that you don't want to fuck with. Remember, these are the guys who took down Al Capone.
  103. See also CannonBall Run by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

    If only you had a misspent youth you'd remember the purpose from CannonBall Run - you go by a Cop at 240MPH and he takes off after the Red Lamborghini. The girls driving it pull off into a car wash, washing off the Red paint, revealing the blue Lamborghini. The cops aren't surprised to see another Lamborghini so close (it must have been near Carmel, CA) and obviously don't make the connection.

    Here, the car changes color from the cold water and you don't have a mess of other-colored paint.

    Now somebody will correct me about the actual paint color, the actual speed, and which sequel this actually occurred in.

    --
    My God, it's Full of Source!
    OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
  104. And another by ginbot462 · · Score: 1
    For the Integra/RSX

    RSX

    Or the model I prefered (not to mention the name.. good god, do all cars have to have names that sound like bad variables)

    Integra

    --
    Atlas Shrugged : Thematic Story :: Battlefield Earth : Organized Religion
  105. Distraction? by connah0047 · · Score: 1

    How much do you want to bet the second that car hits the road, people will be sueing the car maker for distracting them into a wreck? "Honest officer, I ran into the back of him because a flashing car caught my attention!" And don't think they won't win the suit. Where I live, there is a local radio station with a guy on it named "Stupid Mike". He gets paid to go out in public and do stupid things for entertainment. His latest stunt involved standing on the side of the road with no shirt on and advertisers bought space on his chest. The cops stopped and told him he could stand on the corner of the road like that because he was distracting drivers and he would causea wreck.

    What morons.

  106. Calling All Cars! by sgt+scrub · · Score: 1

    There is a white bronco, I mean red, no green...

    --
    Having to work for a living is the root of all evil.
  107. hmm by coconutmnky · · Score: 0

    this could be good for my car. No more 20 shades of purple, no! now i can have 20 shades of purple that changes color to 20 shades of red!

    And now i can see pimp my ride going bankrupt buying 1000 gallons of this stuff.

  108. big red splotch by nurb432 · · Score: 1

    Good thing then that all i have up front is the spare tire :)

    The engine is midship, where all car engines should be.

    --
    ---- Booth was a patriot ----