Posts with tag Engadget

It's not often that the world of fashion and the world of technology come together. But all of that is about to change with the new label Dressing Light. Designed by Anke Loh, Dressing Light uses a fabric called Lumalive that lights up when worn. Lumalive was created by the Dutch company Philips last year, but this is the first commercial use of the fabric. Powered by LEDs, Lumalive can display anything from text to graphics to animations. Loh's designs include t-shirts featuring animations of trains, cartoon cityscapes and simple, bold graphics.

At this point, it's a little unclear how much the Lumalive clothing will cost, but Loh is optimistic that consumers will be willing to fork over big bucks to buy something which so innovatively incorporates fashion and technology. I, on the other hand, feel less optimistic. The last thing I want to worry about when I'm getting dressed in the morning is whether or not my t-shirt's battery pack is recharged -- I have a hard enough time keeping up with my cellphone.

Movies from 'Blade Runner' to 'Minority Report' have tried to predict the future of styles. And who knows, maybe mini-skirts will be back in fashion when the 23rd century rolls around... But Philips, the company currently showing off these amazing LED-based fabrics, predicts flashy, emoting fabrics will be all the rage in 2020. Witness their Design Probe program: SKIN. From what I can tell, it's a futuristic version of the mood ring, designed to be worn all over and respond to your emotional state. What's next? Maybe you'll be able to show what websites your thinking about on your t-shirts. Or maybe that is a very bad idea...

[via Core77]

Pininfarina, a design house often linked with the successes of exotic automakers Maserati and Ferrari, took a break from penning supercars to working on something a little more affordable. The Italian design house teamed up with SimpleTech to produce portable hard drives that have all the curves, gloss and style of the world's hottest sports cars. The devices range in capacity from 40 GB to 100 GB and feature 5400 rpm drives. Prices range from $110 to $180 and come in car-friendly colors; red, gray, silver, white and black.