Those lacking a sense of style will no longer have to worry about mismatched scarves with their outfits this winter. Researchers have created a product that can automatically change color to match clothing.
The color-changing scarf, also known as the chameleon scarf, was developed by Akira Wakita and his team at Keio University in Tokyo, Japan.
Interwoven into the fabric are pixels that contain red, blue, and green light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Adjusting the brightness of each type of diode will give the scarf an entirely new color. A small sensor attached to the fabric also helps it detect the color of the nearest clothing. A microcomputer selects the appropriate color for the scarf to adjust itself.
This means that if the wearer dons a dark blue outfit, the scarf will automatically turn light blue to match. However, if the wearer desires a bolder fashion statement, the computer can be programmed to create more striking color combinations. “In theory, around 4,000 colors can be generated,” Wakita said. “However, the differences may be difficult to perceive with the naked eye.”
The scarf was introduced at the International Symposium on Wearable Computing (ISW2005) in Osaka, Japan, in October.
