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Philips Shows Light Emitting Clothing

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the dear-god-do-i-hate-august dept.

Paul Cobbaut writes "From Physorg: Philips Research intends to impress the visitors at this year's IFA (Internationale Funkausstellung) with a world-first demonstration of promotional jackets and furniture featuring its innovative Lumalive technology. Lumalive textiles make it possible to create fabrics that carry dynamic advertisements, graphics and constantly changing color surfaces. Here is the Philips Press Release." Obviously, all Devo videos will need to be reshot using this valuabe new technology advance.

51 of 191 comments (clear)

  1. and of course by mgabrys_sf · · Score: 3, Funny

    The possibilities for the PRON industry abound.

    Now they can show it all before they take it all off.

  2. Tron Suit by tompatman · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sweet! Now I can build the perfect Tron suit that I always dreamed of! Hopefully, no one will think I'm weird when I wear it to work...

  3. Light pollution by ms1234 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Like there is not already too much light pollution in the world. And advertisment .. and lightboards .. and .. and ...

  4. Motorcycle, bicycle, and jogging safety... by Shivetya · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Oooh, there is one big market waiting for this. Who cares about advertising, visibility is even more important. Dayling running can be made safer with clothing that shifts geometric patterns and shifting colors. Ads on the clothing could be used to reduce the price so people actually wear it... and if not ads then perhaps some customizable imagery would be good to.

    Still, the safety aspects are hard to ignore with stuff like this. If the power use is low enough then self lighting (pulsing/blinking) emergency gear would be another great application (think of aircraft seats, lifevests, etc). Get lost in the woods then at night a tent or even your jacket if woven with this material could be set to flash etc.

    --
    * Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
    1. Re:Motorcycle, bicycle, and jogging safety... by otie · · Score: 5, Insightful
      Ads on the clothing could be used to reduce the price so people actually wear it...
      Oh please. They'll charge you more for the privilege of wearing their adverts.
    2. Re:Motorcycle, bicycle, and jogging safety... by cHALiTO · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Ads on the clothing could be used to reduce the price so people actually wear it...


      Ehm.. those already exist, and they actually make the clothes *more expensive*. Like, check out the price of a white T-shirt, then go see the price of a white T-shirt with Nike logo on the front... by wearing it in pubilc, you're freely advertising for Nike.. wait.. not freely.. you PAID for it!

      (I know, I know, trademark, status, quality perception. etc etc.. but I still can't stop thinking that when something like this happens, there's something really wrong with this world =P)
      --
      "Luck is my middle name," said Rincewind, indistinctly. "Mind you, my first name is Bad." -- Terry Pratchett
    3. Re:Motorcycle, bicycle, and jogging safety... by kfg · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Safety yellow bike jersey: $20

      Black bike shorts: $30

      "Official" Cofidis Jesey and shorts: $160

      Getting me to wear Cofidis Jersey: Pricel. . . well, actually; about $50k a year ought to do it.

      KFG

    4. Re:Motorcycle, bicycle, and jogging safety... by indifferent+children · · Score: 4, Funny
      I ALREADY pay far to much money to display brand name logos! This really needs a Soviet Russia joke.

      Or a joke about the differences between 'to', 'two', and 'too'.

      --
      Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it. --Mark Twain
    5. Re:Motorcycle, bicycle, and jogging safety... by Meccanica · · Score: 2, Funny
      Ads on the clothing could be used to reduce the price so people actually wear it.

      Oh god. NOOOOOO! I can't stand it... I don't want to see FLASHING! AD! BANNERS! on people!! I got away from them on the internet (firefox + adblock) but there is no way to protect yourself from throngs of joggers wearing DISCOUNT ELECTRONICS and FREE ONLINE GAMBLING etc.... I know, I know, but it's still a terrible idea. Advertising will always want to be flashy and eye-catching in some way. Hopefully people will have enough sense to stay away from the whole idea... but I wonder... by providing free clothing to the homeless, Corpoation X gets free ad space in return! Actually, that's kind of sad, now that I think of it.

      More importantly, you mean people don't wear clothing unless they have some sort of price incentive? Where do you live? Thousands of slashdot geeks have to know!

      --
      You live and learn. At least, you live.
  5. Useful for safety wear? by Mille+Mots · · Score: 4, Interesting

    As a bicycle commuter (somewhat rare in this Midwestern, Rust Belt, automotive driven state), I can see where Lumalive would be useful for safety gear. Instead of hanging a handful of 'blinkies' off the back of my bike, my whole back could be one big flashing signal. Perhaps a glowing 'slow moving vehicle' triangle of a square foot or so would be more attention-getting than what doesn't work now (lights, high-contrast clothing, evne high-viz yellow jackets don't help half the time).

    1. Re:Useful for safety wear? by rjmars97 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      if you already use reflective vests and the strobe LED lights, it seems the problem is more with the attention span of the drivers than your visibility.

      --
      Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer
    2. Re:Useful for safety wear? by dk-software-engineer · · Score: 5, Funny

      As a cardriver, I will WANT to hit you, if you are wearing a bright flashing jacket. Blinking LED's are annoying enough. It's not a safety issue. If blinking stuff is safer, LED-lamps is enough. Bicycles are not supposed to blink, you are not an ambulance.

    3. Re:Useful for safety wear? by MobyDisk · · Score: 3, Informative
      Actually, I think this type of visibility is a bad idea. If you are driving at night, and something has bright flashing lights, the ONLY thing you can see is the flashing lights. Everything that you could see before now becomes invisible, because your eye has to re-adjust to the bright object. Either that, or the bright object burns into your retina and now you can't see anything else. Either way, this makes it more dangerous for the driver.

      Other examples:
      - Near my home there is a school. The added super-bright flashing LEDs onto the standard reflective pederstrian sign. Now, whenever I drive by it at night, I am momentarily blinded just as I approach the school crosswalk.
      - Ever see the school buses that have the strobe lights on top? Not so bad during the day, but on an early cloudy winter morning those things are dangerously bright. It makes me blink twice as much to avoid looking right at them.

      Instead of hanging a handful of 'blinkies' off the back of my bike
      Do yourself a favor: Turn your blinkies around so they shine against your back. This will illuminate you so people see you, rather than shine a light into the driver's eyes. Face the LED lights toward the person on the bike so that the cars see a person on a bike, not "Hey, look at that cool...! "

      Reflectors also work well because they are softer light and they only reflect what is sent out.
    4. Re:Useful for safety wear? by MobyDisk · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yes, I am talking about the lights on the pedestrian sign. But these aren't the regular bulbs used in traffic lights - not the two alternately flashing yellow light bulbs. This is an array of ultra-bright yellow LEDs that go around the sign. Ultra-bright LEDs are nice in flashlights, on key chains, and at raves. They are not appropriate in a pitch-black environment where they go from all on to all off. It is like shining a flashlight straight in your eyes.

      I don't have a problem with regular light bulbs. But over the past few years I've seen strobe lights and ultra-bright LEDs and halogen lights in places where it isn't appropriate. They seem really nifty until you are driving down a back-woodsy road and somebody's halogen headlights on high-beams hit you in the face.

      My mother-in-law can't drive at night because she has night blindness due to cataracts. (She just had them removed, I should ask her if it has helped). But don't optimiize the lighting so that only people with good vision can see you. That kinda defeats the purpose. :-)

    5. Re:Useful for safety wear? by MisterBates · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I agree with you to some extent however, there are some signs that merely use retrofreflectivity that can be too bright; No LED's required. It is not always the case that the signs are blindingly bright that you find yourself squinting, rather they are too bright for their surroundings. Like trying to find extrasolar planets. It's not that a particular star is blindingly bright to look at through a telescope, but it is too bright to see any surrounding objects.

      In looking at the photo attached to the press release, the lighting scheme doesn't appear to be overly bright.

      Once the fad dies down (recall all the neon clothing in the 80's?) it looks like there will be a huge market for it in safety gear. As a cyclist, I would certainly welcome it being built into my jerseys.

  6. Like In Snow Crash by Watson+Ladd · · Score: 4, Interesting

    You could have windbreakers with the name of a gang on them that turn black on command. Or suits that dazzle everyone letting you escape. Active camaflauge. There are so many uses of this technology.

    --
    Inventions have long since reached their limit, and I see no hope for further development.-- Frontinus, 1st cent. AD
    1. Re:Like In Snow Crash by SageMusings · · Score: 2, Funny

      Better still,

      You can wire your jacket to your personal GPS and have the jacket change gang colors depending on the neighborhood you just entered. Imagine a gothic-text MS-13 sprawled across you back...... ...look it up....

      --
      -- Posted from my parent's basement
  7. Feedback? by slackarse · · Score: 2, Funny

    Can we get this clothing to accept user input? I've always wanted to play pacman on my chest. 2 player battleship anyone, I play my front, you play my back?

    --
    Come to Australia so we can strip search you and rob you of your internets, pr0n, rights and freedoms.
    1. Re:Feedback? by inputsprocket · · Score: 2, Informative

      make that Eleksen

    2. Re:Feedback? by indifferent+children · · Score: 5, Funny

      You'd better have good security if you want to avoid the "Kick Me" worm of 2008.

      --
      Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it. --Mark Twain
    3. Re:Feedback? by caffeinatedOnline · · Score: 2, Funny

      I play my front, you play my back?

      Is it just me, or is there something very wrong about this statement? ;)

      --
      The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel...
  8. Big corp only think about ads by aadvancedGIR · · Score: 2, Funny

    But it can be a very cool tech.

    Imagine these clothes are sold with a wireless interface in the future, which IMHO is a reasonable idea, geeks in school could learn to hack them and write "kick me" on the back of the violent kids while staying at safe distance.

  9. They're not alone by inputsprocket · · Score: 4, Informative

    They're not alone - try Luminex for fibre optic threads in clothes and Elekson for pressure sensitive fabrics....

  10. Wow... by Jugalator · · Score: 2, Funny

    That guy with a glowing @ on his back looks so hip, like he's totally part of the Internet Revolution!

    --
    Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
  11. I can't wait until this is free by niceone · · Score: 2, Funny

    I can't wait for this - google can now give it away as Adword supprted clothing.

    I think I'm going to patent "Pay per Prod" quickly.

    --
    ccalam - acoustic versions of new songs.
    1. Re:I can't wait until this is free by indifferent+children · · Score: 4, Funny
      Adword supprted clothing

      Maybe not. They've had enough trouble with click-fraud, that they might not want to open the 'inappropriate touching' can of worms.

      --
      Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it. --Mark Twain
    2. Re:I can't wait until this is free by Kadin2048 · · Score: 2, Funny

      I think I'm going to patent "Pay per Prod" quickly.

      I think some ladies in Amsterdam have prior art on this.

      --
      "Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
  12. Does this mean... by AslanTheMentat · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ....I can finally get to work on my teletubbies Hallowe'en costume, complete with working belly screen?

    Now, I wonder where I can find stock footage of that monk incinerating himself in protest from the Vietnam Conflict?

  13. Sweet! by Gryle · · Score: 2, Funny

    I predict bed-sheets with built-in mood-lighting.

    --
    Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not entirely sure about the universe - Einstein
  14. Someone had to do it by WoLpH · · Score: 5, Funny

    You're too late

    1. Re:Someone had to do it by TimothyTimothyTimoth · · Score: 4, Funny

      It would certainly seem that it is too late for the guy in the picture.

      --
      It doesn't matter which ape activates the Monolith
    2. Re:Someone had to do it by Easy2RememberNick · · Score: 2, Funny

      Thank god he's crouching.

  15. Marketing disaster by morie · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Leave it to Philips to invent some great technology and then blow the marketing. They have a great history of doing that.

    Come on, if even slashdot can come up with applications that are far more marketable then "advertise on my back", why can't Philips ?

    --
    Sig (appended to the end of comments I post, 54 chars)
    1. Re:Marketing disaster by morie · · Score: 2, Interesting

      As a marketeer, I disagree.

      Advertising sells to advertisers, but it is questionable wether you want to position your hi tech invention as a marketing gimmick. It degrades the value of your product and also the Philips brand value. advertising is big business, but advertising media are usually under enormous strain to lower prices

      Safety was mentioned often. It is a great market. Safety related product are in a high price range and people are willing to pay. Also, they reflect in a positive way on a company.

      Another, more basic problem: they try to sell the technology, but they may want to sell produts instead or develop products together with strategic A-brands. With selling only the technology, they risk cross contamination between two markets. F.i., the press release mentions ads as well as a couch. Different products, I hope. I for one do not want my couch to display ads, even if I don't mind if some of my clothes do. You do not want to create the impression that you sell blinkin' ad-couches!

      One word in defence of Philips: Their last marketing campaign was classic and inspired: the Senseo(r) coffee maker has changed coffee making in the Netherlands profoundly and seems to be catching on in other european countries as well. Not sure wether it was the Philips marketeers or those of Sara Lee/DE in this case though.

      --
      Sig (appended to the end of comments I post, 54 chars)
  16. Stick it by MECC · · Score: 3, Funny

    This could potentially bring an end to the expression "Stick it where the sun don't shine", if my shorts can illiluminate such dark corners of the universe.

    --
    "We are all geniuses when we dream"
    - E.M. Cioran
  17. Anybody taking bets... by thewiz · · Score: 2, Funny

    On how long it will take for someone to dress-up in a glowing green outfit and pretend to be an alien?

    I'd say about 5 minutes.

    --
    If "disco" means "I learn" in Latin, does "discothèque" mean "I learn technology"?
  18. Shirt Hack by NeonDemon · · Score: 2, Funny

    Its going to be great to see a virus spreading though your local GAP.

  19. Blah. by Rob+T+Firefly · · Score: 2, Interesting
    But get in on it quick, because as soon as this blows up, people will tune it out. The older folks might still remember when lettering on a t-shirt was unusual enough for a second glance from anyone on the street, but how many people pay attention to what strangers are sporting on t-shirts these days?

    Times Square's glitzy neon lights were revolutionary in its day, but information overloads like that are quickly tuned out to the point where I would guess the percentage of people who work or live nearby who could actually name more than three or four Times Square ads from memory to be very low. As is all I can pull off the top of my head are Coca-cola and the big steamy Cup-O-Noodles, even though I've taken regular walks through the area for roughly 12 years.
    Fabrics like drapes, cushions or sofa coverings become active when they illuminate in order to enhance the observer's mood and positively influence his/her behavior.
    Because nothing positively enhances my mood like tons of stupid blinking flashing crap made to distract me and sell me things.
    --
    Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
    1. Re:Blah. by Peredur · · Score: 2, Funny

      Dunno about that. Every time I see a female walking about with "These are Real" on her shirt, I always look twice.

  20. Sequins for the digital age? by hummdinger02 · · Score: 4, Funny

    The thing that concerns me most about this would be the potential application in reviving disco. Then comes roller disco and then Kryogenics is used to bring back the decesed members of the Gibb family. AND IT ALL STARTS with the sequins for the digital age.

  21. So why do you buy the branded clothing? by Colin+Smith · · Score: 3, Insightful

    My jeans cost £3. Look, no badge, no brand. Equivalent Levis, £40.

    --
    Deleted
  22. Brighter isn't always safer... Target fixation by Colin+Smith · · Score: 2, Interesting

    People tend to drive the direction they're looking.

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

    --
    Deleted
  23. If I... by caffiend2049 · · Score: 2, Interesting
    have to wear a fat winter vest-jacket to have a @ on my back, I am totally out.

    A complete color change capacity would be great, though. No more shopping for the perfect tie to match each suit. Just think about it matching hard enough and ....voila!

    --
    Pandering to the lowest common denominator would be less frequent if more people were prime numbers.
  24. Camo by aod7br · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I think the best use for this would be camouflage. Imagine a cloth equipped with a pocket cam and CPU that tries to mimick the enviroment. Of course it would work better if it had passive lighting (like electronic paper).

  25. I'm with stupid by Aceticon · · Score: 2, Funny

    This will revolutionize the "I'm with stupid" t-shirt industry - now the arrow can always point in the right direction

  26. Re:Useful for safety wear? - Not by soft_guy · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Do you honestly think the idiot driving the Hummer way too fast cares whether she is tailgating you? If you stop in half the distance she can, she will just flatten you and she probably won't even notice.

    --
    Avoid Missing Ball for High Score
  27. What's Wrong With People? by E++99 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Shouldn't these people have been working on the cure for the common cold? Or legos that are don't get stuck together as badly, or something else?

  28. Uncle Enzo will be happy by Dave+Emami · · Score: 2, Funny

    "The binocular guy nods, reaches up with one hand and presses a lapel switch. The next time he turns around, a word is written across his back in neon green electropigment: MAFIA. The older guy turns away; his windbreaker says the same thing. Hiro turns around in the middle of the gangplank. There are twenty crew members in plain sight all around him. Suddenly, their black windbreakers all say, MAFIA. Suddenly, they are all armed."

    --

    "The Greens lynched a hacker in Chicago. Last month, but I think the body's still hanging from the old Water Tower."
  29. What kind by kahrytan · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The article forgets to tell us WHAT KIND OF LED? I highly doubt it is an actual LED since they are to big. If it's fully integrated into the fabric then it could be a Organic LED or PLED (polymer led).

      What do you think the LED is?

    --
    \
  30. a look into the future by WeAreAllDoomed · · Score: 2, Funny
    Lumalive textiles make it possible to create fabrics that carry dynamic advertisements, graphics and constantly changing color surfaces.

    so, i can look forward to a future in which a typical walk through town will involve punching dozens of people in the face as hard as i can?

    --
    free software, open standards, open file formats, no software patents.
  31. SAR applications? by Buckler · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Hm. The first thing I thought when I was the article was that this would be great for large-scale search & rescue operations. Piles of "plain vanilla" uniforms could be instantly programmed to display the rescue operative's name and unit on the back, color-coded. A flick of a switch could cause the uniform to blink an "I've found a survivor" pattern, to draw attention. Why are these guys only thinking of ad space?