PhotoChromeleon offers colour customisation
A team from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) are using reprogrammable ink to let objects change colours when exposed to UV and visible light sources.
Dubbed PhotoChromeleon, the system is said to use a mix of photochromic dyes that can be sprayed or painted onto the surface of any object to change its colour, a fully reversible process that can be repeated infinitely.
PhotoChromeleon can be used to customise any object and the colour remains, even when used in natural environments.
“This special type of dye could enable a whole myriad of customisation options that could improve manufacturing efficiency and reduce overall waste,” said CSAIL postdoc Yuhua Jin, the lead author on a new paper about the project. “Users could personalise their belongings and appearance on a daily basis, without the need to buy the same object multiple times in different colours and styles.”
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