Despite all of our achievements, humans still can not camouflage ourselves beyond clothes and face paint.
Inanimate objects, however, are another story.
A team from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) developed a method of changing items’ colors when exposed to ultraviolet and visible light sources.
Dubbed “PhotoChromeleon,” the system uses a mix of cyan, magenta, and yellow (CMY) photochromic dyes that can be sprayed or painted onto the surface of any object to transform its hue.
The fully reversible process can be repeated infinitely to customize everything from cars to shoes.
“This special type of dye could enable a whole myriad of customization options that could improve manufacturing efficiency and reduce overall waste,” according to CSAIL postdoc Yuhua Jin, lead author on a new paper about the project. “Users could personalize their belongings and appearance on a daily basis, without the need to buy the same object multiple times in different colors and styles.”
PhotoChromeleon builds on the team’s previous “ColorMod” platform, which uses a 3D printer to fabricate items that change color—but only from its original shade to transparent.
CSAIL’s new ink invention, however, lets the user’s imagination run wild: paint multicolor zebra stripes or a sweeping landscape.
Simply place the object—your phone case, for example—inside a box with a project and ultraviolet light. They work together to saturate and desaturate colors as needed, allowing the new pattern to appear.
Re-coloring the chameleon (zebra texture) by activating with UV light and applying a new texture (via MIT CSAIL)
Not satisfied? Use the UV light to erase the design and start over.
During testing, the lab’s patterns “all had high resolutions and could be successfully erased when desired.” Depending on the shape and orientation of an item, the process can take anywhere from 15 to 40 minutes.
“By giving users the autonomy to individualize their items, countless resources could be preserved, and the opportunities to creatively change your favorite possessions are boundless,” co-author Stefanie Mueller, a professor at MIT, added.
Read more in the full study, published online this week by CSAIL.
More on Geek.com:
- MIT’s Thread-Like Robot Slides Through Blood Vessels In the Brain
- Artificial Color-Changing ‘Chameleon Skin’ Reacts to Heat, Light
- MIT’s AI Knitting System Designs, Creates Woven Garments
