Electroluminescent jacket stands out on the road but not in a crowd

Two British design firms PDD and Goose Design have teamed up to develop a stylish cycling jacket aimed at the fashion conscious cyclist that can be seen in the dark using electroluminescent and photovoltaic technology.

 

The jacket needed to meet the needs of all types of cyclist - from the serious enthusiast to commuters and weekenders in a style that would comfortably help cyclists to stand out on the road, but not in a crowd.

PDD and Goose researched the needs of cyclists today and whilst the main priority was visibility on the road they needed to avoid garish colors or unstylish reflective patches.

 

Combining safety and fashion the jacket is illuminated with designs using electroluminescent ink that when switched on provides a 360 degree light source which fades to nothing when switched off. A soft switch powered by an integrated thin film battery provides the small charge needed to activate the lighting via a transparent, printable conductive layer. Photovoltaic cells power the battery and are located on the back of the neck, shoulders and small of the back - away from areas likely to be covered during cycling.

 

The end result is a flexible, washable trendy jacket that still enables the wearer be seen in the dark but once switched off it looks like an everyday windbreaker.

 

For more attend Printed Electronics Asia 2008 or Printed Electronics USA 2008.

 

Also read article High-tech textiles pave the way for glowing garments and IDTechEx reports Printed and Thin Film Photovoltaics and Batteries; Inorganic and Composite Printed Electronics 2008-2018.