Flexible Color LED Screen

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The screen is connected to a mobile phone via a Bluetooth link, so drawings and animations can be sent by MMS to another user with the same equipment. Thanks to a dedicated embedded software application, the mobile can be used as a remote control to activate the screen's functionalities: adjust the brightness, select the image or text to be displayed, enter text, draw simple animated visuals, download animations from the Internet, etc. A more sophisticated animation editor has been produced to allow professionals to market their own animations, which will be online and downloadable via the Internet from a mobile phone.

Sensors integrated into the screen mean it can also be used as a "standalone" device (to display visual sequences stored in the screen's memory or specific animations triggered by certain gestures or sounds, etc.).

The electronic components (including LEDs) have been soldered on a flexible circuit board and then packaged in a fabric layered sandwich. This offers an optimised display rendering while maintaining a very good flexibility and a comfortable yet resistant textile feeling.

Compared with the optical fibre screens developed by the same team of researchers (and awarded the prize for innovation at the 2002 Avantex textile trade show), the display screen is lighter, has a colour display and is easier to integrate into clothing because it is small (10cm by 7cm) and light (approximately 50 grams, in addition to a battery weighing approximately 100 grams). The removable screen is inserted in a special pocket in the garment. It is easy to use and connected to a rechargeable battery with a 4-hour charge life.

though I think OLED will make this tech moot, and the "flexibility" looks pretty minimal, it's got some definitely interesting immediate potentials.

compiled from France Telecom press release

R&D blurb

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Apart from the fun, trendy aspect that appeals to consumers, possible applications exist in the professional event marketing and communications sectors (the staff coordinating events could display real-time information for the visitors) or in advertising, public safety, etc.

In July, trials under real conditions will allow the developers to confirm the advantages of the functionalities offered, discover new specific applications and check that the communicating clothes are comfortable to use. In the mean time, France Telecom's R&D teams are continuing to explore the nascent communicating clothes market, concluding market research studies and finalising an appropriate economic model with a view to launching commercial production of the existing prototypes in the near future. Even today, they are working towards future generations of the new screen, and in particular its compatibility with a large number of mobile phones.