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Philips Research's researchers, who previously announced their integration of flexible arrays of multicolored LEDs into fabrics, plastics, and films, have progressed with development of their Lumalive technology to the point where it can be commercialized. Philips is especially interested in reaching companies in the promotional industry who are looking for a new, high-impact medium. The Philips research and development (R&D) group says it uses a soft, normal feeling cloth for the clothing that incorporates the arrays, and that the electronics, batteries, and LED arrays that make up the display are completely integrated and invisible to observer and wearer. The first production-enabled cloth displays have 14x14 arrays of red-green-blue LEDs and are 200mm x 200-squared in size, but active sections may be scaled up to cover much bigger areas (such as sofa-sized). The LEDs are tiny, but the encompassing fabric diffuses light and makes each pixel appear larger than it is. The box of electronics and batteries are removed before laundering the garment. A Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection is used to control electronics, and the arrays support full-color animation. In principle, the system can be extended with Bluetooth, and one of the research prototypes can receive Short Message Service (SMS) messages and show them on the Lumalive textile.
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