Gadgetory

what if you could instantly change the color of your clothing with a press of a button it sounds wild but it is real engineers at the University of Central Florida are weaving up a new type of smart fabric where every inch of the material is wired and it can be programmed to change color it's just one of the latest ways technology is fusing with the fashion industry the technology is woven inside the fabric itself and with the help of an app you can just press a button and change what color you want it to be or perhaps a pattern let's say we're going to the beach you could set the pick stripes and slowly it's heating up certain areas so wallah you now have a striped beach bag although it looks shiny there are no screens no lights the actual fibers are physically changing color and it's happening through an engineering blend of color changing pigments micro wires and electricity the fabric is woven together with a traditional machine but the threads are special they are conductive inside a strand is a really thin copper wire and it's covered by a material that's made with special pigment that changes colors when the temperature changes to understand how this works think back to your childhood did you ever play with toys that changed colors and hot or cold water I had little racecars that changed in different temperatures it's the same chemistry at work with the fabric but instead of using water to create that temperature change an electric current is creating the heat in the thread itself a computer chip is connected and it's programmed to send a current through different threads heating them up to create a pattern all of it is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery it is just a little warm to the touch but I wouldn't call it hot but you could definitely feel it's just a little warmer in the areas where where the pigment changed colors it's very flexible it's cotton this guy could bend to it you don't to worry about about it it's not very stiff it's kind of like jeans the wiring inside of that prototype purse is a bit messy when you look inside but the researchers say the final product wouldn't look like that it would only need one wire and the chip would be smaller everything could be detached so it can be washed but moment working with seven designers and we're hoping this year to start working with a larger scale textile and fabric based product manufacturers hopefully this year these first samples are programmed to show different types of stripes but more complex patterns and shapes are possible it can mix it up to four different colors the next step for the team at UCF is to make color changing dresses the engineering challenge is to get the threads to be even thinner so the fabric can have more balance and flow we are still in the awkward early stages of smart fabrics google has teamed up with Levi's on a smart jean jacket it can control music despite tapping an area on the sleeve Samsung is experimenting with a few garments it sells a smart suit with NFC built into a button on the wrist and there are a few other companies putting smarts into workout gear to track activity but the future of e fabrics may also look something like this antennas embroidered right on the clothes as a patch researchers at Ohio State University are developing antennas and power sources that can be stitched on anything the goal is that the tech can be completely washable these devices can be used to transmit data to boost cell phone reception or even control of video game looking into the future I see a lot of sort of smart garments that people can use to interact with technology may that be like augmented reality games or virtual reality so the ability to interact either gaming or smart home devices just by wear your clothes and moving accordingly the future of fashion promises new function and also a little bit of fun yeah sure premium