colorchanging
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Thermo-sensitive sweaters change color in the cold
Stone Island likes to bring technology to its fashion lines, like the strangely compelling AirPod pockets sown into its Fall/Winter collection we saw last month. Now the fashion concern has a new sweater that changes color depending on the temperature. The garment is called Ice Knit, with an outer layer made of thermo-sensitive yarn and an inner layer of pure wool to keep you warm (and maybe keep your body from messing with the color change).
Color-changing helmets could warn you about head injuries
Head injuries can be particularly sinister -- unless it's obvious that you took a bad blow, you might not get the help you need in time to mitigate the damage. University of Pennsylvania scientists may have an easy way to raise the red flag when you're hurt, however. They've crafted a polymer that changes color depending on the amount of force, giving anyone around you a sign that you've suffered some trauma. The key was to use holographic lithography to create photonic crystals whose structures change color when they deform. They don't require any power to work, and they're light enough that you could apply them to a helmet without noticing a significant weight difference.
Inventors develop transistor to change color of any surface, your face notwithstanding
Color shifting has been a pipe dream for about as long as alchemists have claimed their studies to be legitimate, but now a brilliant team from the New University of Lisbon can finally say a breakthrough has been found. Essentially, these inventors have conjured up a transistor that changes the color of practically any surface (paper, glass, plastics, ceramics and metals, just to name a few). For what it's worth, this same team already has quite a bit of display cred, as it has developed technology currently used within Samsung panels. With the help of a few good men and woman at the University of Texas at Austin, the team was able to register for a patent right here in the US, and with any luck, they'll be giving OLEDs and e-paper a run for their money before we can snap our fingers twice and run around the block. Check a video (narrated in Portuguese) after the break.[Thanks, Nelson]
France's Eurovia aims to make roads change color to warn of ice
While there's already GPS systems out there that'll give drivers some indication of road conditions, French company Eurovia is aiming to provide some warnings that are decidedly more real-time, with it now testing a process that'll actually change the color of roads as the temperature dips into freezing territory. That's, of course, not an entirely new process (we've already seen spoons that change color based on temperature), but Eurovia is apparently fine tuning things to hold up to the wear and tear it'll see on roads, and working to ensure that it turns color early enough so the salt trucks can be deployed before the roads get too dicey. While there's no word as to when we might see a wide-scale deployment, the company did test it with five patches over a 50 kilometer stretch of road in France this winter, and it sees no shortage of benefits to the technology in the future, adding that it could also be used to warn pedestrians to watch their steps on sidewalks.[Via Autoblog]
Paramagnetic paint lets you change your car's color on a whim
Sure, the whole "temporary vehicle paint" idea was a fine concept if you adored hassles, but Nissan scientists at TK have a much cleaner approach for those who appreciate easy. The effect is paint color change at the press of a button, and the secret is a "special polymer containing paramagnetic iron oxide particles," which is applied to the whip's exterior; an "applied electric current then adjusts the spacing of small crystals within the iron oxide particles, and therefore affects their ability to reflect light and change color." Essentially, vehicles could rock a default color when turned off, and then your imagination could go wild once you turned over the ignition. If all goes well, expect to see commercial applications ready to roll by the time Fast and the Furious: 10 Times 2 Many hits theaters (or 2010, whichever comes first).[Via Autoblog]Update: Sounds like Nissan expressed some interest and / or viewed a demo of the tech, but isn't actually the developer. Quite in fact, we're not entirely sure which scientists claimed to have developed this tech in the first place, but we'll let you know if more details become available.
Heat-sensitive spoons designed for better cooking
Who among us has not been thwarted by the microwave at some point -- constantly having to heat and reheat, trying to get our food at that perfect temperature. While some take the smart appliance approach, those who enjoy a low-tech aesthetic might be interested in The Added Touch's color changing spoons. Each one is heat-sensitive and adjusts hue when your food reaches 120 degrees F, indicating that it is ready. While being the only color changing spoon we have seen that didn't come in a cereal box, it might also be the only one in our dish rack that doesn't melt or get to sparking when left in the ol' nuker.[Via Core77]
