Change Fabric Color with a Smartphone App
The University of Central Florida's College of Optics & Photonics (UCF's CREOL) today announced what university researchers believe is the first-ever, active user-controlled color-changing fabric. The fabric, developed by a team of UCF scientists, allows the user/wearer to change the color or pattern of the fabric through their smartphone.
This color change differs from previous "˜color-changing' fabrics on the market according to the researchers; other color changing fabrics typically contain LEDs that emit light in various color spectra. Instead, CREOL's ChroMorphous technology enables a novel capability: user-controlled, dynamic color and pattern change in large woven fabrics as well as cut-and-sewn textile products. Each thread woven into the fabric incorporates a thin metal micro-wire. The technology sends a low-voltage electric current through the micro-wires, which raises the thread's temperature very slightly. Special pigments embedded in the thread then respond to this temperature shift by changing its color. Color changes occur only in the presence of the electric current and are not affected by ambient temperatures, they indicated.
The new technology allows the user to control both when the color change happens and what pattern appears on the fabric. Using an app, the consumer can choose from a variety of patterns and colors to suit their need or mood "“ all from the tap of a button on their smart device. For example, a solid purple tote bag now has the ability to gradually add blue stripes when you press a "stripe" button on your smartphone or computer, or switch to a solid blue.
"Although clothing has been a staple of the human experience for millennia, the basic structure and functionality of textile fibers and yarns have remained unchanged throughout history," said Dr. Ayman Abouraddy, Professor of Optics & Photonics at UCF. "The capabilities of electronics constantly increase and we always expect more from our iPhones, so why haven't textiles been updated? Can we expect an ever-expanding range of functionalities from our clothing? These were the questions we asked, and the foundation for creating the ChroMorphous technology that we began developing in 2016. We are excited to introduce the industry's first color-changing fabric, as we believe it's the next groundbreaking innovation in fashion and textiles."
University representatives said their new technology is scalable at mass-production levels via a process known as fiber-spinning and is currently produced in Melbourne, Florida, with CREOL's collaborators at Hills, Inc. The CREOL team is currently working with Hills to further reduce the diameter of the threads to produce fabrics for wide-scale market adoption. Ultimately, the patent-pending fabric has the ability to be used across a broad range of applications from clothing and accessories to furniture and fixed installations in housing and business décor.
