Bluetooth display animates clothing

08 Jul 2004

France telecom puts mobile phone technology into a flexible LED screen designed for clothes.

Fashion victims and cyclists could soon be benefiting from wearable, flexible displays that can talk to mobile phones. The R&D division of France Telecom has developed a Bluetooth compatible LED screen that fits into clothing and displays text, drawings and animations sent by multimedia messaging service (MMS).

Bluetooth display

The wearable screen is part of the group's forward-looking 'communicating clothes' project. However, the team believes this working device to be much more than a proof-of-concept prototype and are keen to exploit the innovation commercially.

Fabric sandwich

The 4096 color LED screen comprises a flexible circuit board packaged in a fabric layered sandwich. Weighing 150 g (including battery) and measuring 10 x 7 cm, these displays are lighter, more colourful and easier to fit in clothing than the team's award winning fiber optic screens showcased at the Avantex textile trade show in 2002. The new removable screens insert into a special pocket in the garment and connect to a rechargeable battery with 4 hour charge life.

Wearable screen

The display's brightness adjustment and image can be accessed remotely via a mobile phone. Embedded software technology lets users transfer animations download from the internet. The screen can also function as a stand-alone device with images and visual sequences triggered by integrated sensors responding to sounds and gestures.

Emotional indicator