Not Ready to Wear

The Philips Photonics Textiles research group has developed a piece of flexible material that allows people to upload reconfigurable flashing fashion statements and messages on garments, furniture, and accessories using mobile phones. Called Lumalive, the photonic textile is studded with 100 inorganic light-emitting diodes and some drive electronics. It functions as a removable display that is water-resistant but not washable. While Lumalive is a novel idea, it has a number of drawbacks that make it difficult to market. Aside from having a short battery life, Lumalive is vulnerable to hacking and has no practical use