Adobe Unveils Dress That Can Change Its Pattern On the Fly (futurism.com) 68
An anonymous reader writes: Adobe has unveiled a sparkling, interactive dress -- and got the research scientist who created it to model the high-tech couture. Video of the dress debut shows researcher Christine Dierk wearing the slinky strapless number that, upon first glance, looks like the average sequined cocktail dress. With the click of a handheld remote, however, the dress began to shift patterns like something out of a fashion-forward science fiction film. Created under Adobe's "Project Primrose" initiative, this "digital dress," as Dierk described it for the audience at Adobe's MAX conference last week, "brings fabric to life."
"Unlike traditional clothing, which is static, Primrose allows me to refresh my look in a moment," the Adobe scientist said, demonstrating the clothing's capabilities by having its colors go from light to dark in an instant. The digital dress patterns can also, as Dierks demonstrated, be animated, and will even respond to movement -- though that last feature appeared glitchy and didn't work at first. The researcher-turned-model also told the hosts of her portion of the convention that she not only designed the dress with the help of her team at Adobe, but also stitched it herself.
While the specs of this particular smart garment haven't been published, the high-tech sequins used for smaller Project Primrose offerings, a handbag and a canvas, were described by Dierks and her co-researchers last year in an article presented at a tech conference. As the article explains, those "sequins" are actually "reflective light-diffuser modules" that use reflective-backed polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (PDLC), which are most often used in smart lighting. Technically, all those sequins are tiny screens.
"Unlike traditional clothing, which is static, Primrose allows me to refresh my look in a moment," the Adobe scientist said, demonstrating the clothing's capabilities by having its colors go from light to dark in an instant. The digital dress patterns can also, as Dierks demonstrated, be animated, and will even respond to movement -- though that last feature appeared glitchy and didn't work at first. The researcher-turned-model also told the hosts of her portion of the convention that she not only designed the dress with the help of her team at Adobe, but also stitched it herself.
While the specs of this particular smart garment haven't been published, the high-tech sequins used for smaller Project Primrose offerings, a handbag and a canvas, were described by Dierks and her co-researchers last year in an article presented at a tech conference. As the article explains, those "sequins" are actually "reflective light-diffuser modules" that use reflective-backed polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (PDLC), which are most often used in smart lighting. Technically, all those sequins are tiny screens.
I watched the whole video! (Score:2, Funny)
I watched the whole video hoping she'd eventually switch the dress to transparent!
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There did appear to be a wardrobe malfunction but not that type.
Re: I watched the whole video! (Score:2)
Once you seen one woman naked, you want to see them all naked - Ron White
In all seriousness, itâ(TM)s a cool concept but itâ(TM)s also likely to just be a trend. Itâ(TM)s too distracting. Imagine a club filled with women wearing them.
Re: I watched the whole video! (Score:2)
That's exactly what I imagined and with the correct chemicals that would be fucking amazing.
"I'm sorry I can't stop staring, your dress has captured my addled mind and I can't look away"
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It reminded my of Rachel Riley's dress from Cats does Countdown [youtu.be]
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It's cheaper to automate your wanker.
Why? (Score:2)
lol did someone forget what business they are in? Desperate times Adobe? Branching out? Maybe you can make some color change people while you're at it?
I get it's probably not about the dress, and if it isn't then wtf is the application? But hey, "GEE WHIZZ".....
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Re:Why? (Score:5, Insightful)
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Its Adobe, nothing they do is cool. Its all some kinda scam.
They'll probably charge a monthly fee to be able to turn it on.
Just on the fly? (Score:2)
I didn't even know they called zipper closures this for dresses, but it is a small area to have a screen built into and might draw unwanted attention.
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Flicker cladding! (Score:4)
props to Rudy Rucker
Illusions are annoying (Score:4, Funny)
Re: Illusions are annoying (Score:2)
Fantastic response
I must say that is the coolest thing I've seen this week.
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Hacking this thing remotely is going to be hilarious.
Yup (Score:2)
Getting that through airport security should be fun ...
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Fun for the guys doing the control, yes. Not for the person wearing it :)
Re:Yup (Score:4, Informative)
May eventually be interesting (many years away) (Score:5, Informative)
But wearing that (likely very uncomfortable) big, heavy, thick, many-layered plastic thing is probably not high on most people's list. And it really was a one-trick pony - I was expecting a wider range of display options rather than just changing a bunch of 1-inch squares into a small subset of colors.
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We have been able to install things like LEDs in clothing for a long time now, but it's never taken off. I thought there might be interest due to Star Wars, where a lot of characters seem to be wearing tech that has little LED displays, but it seems not.
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Wearable electronics have always suffered from a lack of creativity on the part of the people who actually build them. Frankly, the most impressive thing about this dress is that scale mail is "in". You go, girl! Conquer Ctesiphon! Show those Sasanians you mean business!
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I was expecting a wider range of display options rather than just changing a bunch of 1-inch squares into a small subset of colors.
It's the first concept so naturally it would have limited options.
However, one thing no one on here has mentioned is this only changes the front. You'll notice when she is shown from the side, the back of the dress stays white/off white. Which means these squares can be readily damaged so you can't sit on them (yet). Which raises the next question: if one of these squares is
Re: May eventually be interesting (many years away (Score:2)
This isnâ(TM)t new either, many people have made similar things going back years with anything from flexible LCD to LED and the literature on creating medical sensors and displays in clothing goes back even further.
Flexible displays were invented by Xerox PARC in the 70s or 80s with similar promises. The problem with clothing is humans are wet, corrosive and dirty creatures and electronics donâ(TM)t like soap and water.
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This will not get worse over time. Prototypes are like that.
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i was expecting actual smart textile too. this is clearly just a proof of concept but it's pretty lame at that, and looks like a walking joke. stuffing some sophisticated christmas lights on top of a person is not making a smart dress. you can clearly see by how she acts and moves that the damn thing has to be extremely uncomfortable and impractical. even with the same approach probably any diy home project could do better than that.
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But wearing that (likely very uncomfortable) big, heavy, thick, many-layered plastic thing is probably not high on most people's list. And it really was a one-trick pony - I was expecting a wider range of display options rather than just changing a bunch of 1-inch squares into a small subset of colors.
I also see a real problem. Guys will get their chops busted for looking at the dress. It is the old "my eyes are up here, mister!" problem. Kind of a weird thing that we simultaneously have women trying to draw attention to them while if they succeed they'll shame the person if the person looking is male.
Invisible? (Score:1)
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The thing is, it's completely useless in a modern military context unless if it also operates outside of the visible light spectrum.
I would think that depends on the price tag. No you probably can't make an effective invisibility cloak that is going to render you invisible to the enemy. Probably not even relatively unsophisticated enemies. - The sniper with the infrared enhanced scope will see you. The security cameras will still spot your infiltration teams and operators, so with the magnetometers.. I doubt you will be able to make anything invisible to active detection schemes like lidar or millimeter wave.
On the other hand some k
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Just kidding. (Score:2, Insightful)
Target audience is presumably rich geeky women who want to attract attention and carry around a battery/computer. Well done, guys, I'm sure that huge market will be beating a path to your door.
Or you could have made a T-shirt that everyone could use and you would easily see geeks hanging out with their favourite games streaming (even in monochrome) on their chest.
This is basically a large collection of small LCD panels, in effect. We could have done it 20+ years ago. The problem is that nobody actually r
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Or you could have made a T-shirt that everyone could use and you would easily see geeks hanging out with their favourite games streaming (even in monochrome) on their chest.
Geeks starring at your chest? That's definitely going to happen if you have any.
The problem is that nobody actually really wants computers in their clothes. We've seen people trying to sell that dead horse for decades now.
On your clothes, on your wrist, in your pocket, there is much of a difference?
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I have to wash my clothes.
I rarely wash my smartphone or (very old fashioned concept, even in the era of smartwatches) wristwatch.
So either it's an accessory that you have remove and reattached to "real" clothing, or it needs to be washable (which I highly doubt).
Hmm (Score:3)
This is truly the age of miracles.
Lame! (Score:2)
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Also, please do notice that the lighting is very rigged for this dress to look good. Look at her skin above the dress. No adult with flesh and bone looks that smooth. There are virtually no subtle shadows on her skin besides the ones cast from her head.
Report to HR mister. If you were looking at anything but her eyes, you're busted.
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What I noticed / what I think (Score:4, Interesting)
1) The refresh rate was decent for the format
2) The resolution is very low
3) The colour is 1-bit
4) She only built the front half of the dress
5) It's obviously not flexible, which is why scales were used
6) The animation triggered by motion sensors was impressive
I think the scale size needs to be brought down to about half the current diameter, and either be restricted to accent panels or go all the way around - in which case, it better be tough enough to take someone sitting on parts of it. Or hiking it up to use a toilet, or leaning up against a bar or something.
It also be nice to see it do something other than silver / white. Presumably the silver is a backing and the white is the PDLC coating blocking the background while activated.
Oh, and presumably it needs to come paired with a matching purse. And I mean ACTIVELY matching.
Sleeping Beauty (Score:2)
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Don't you mean that the dress can change its pattern and not design? I would love to see the dress transform into a mini-skirt or a bridal gown.
That would require some sort of Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan morphing technology, which is a concept so ridiculous is makes me want to laugh out loud and chortle, anduhbut not at you, O holiest of gods, with the wrathfulness and the vengeance and the blood rain and the hey-hey-hey-it-hurts-me.
Nice addition to one's wardrobe... (Score:2)
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+1, get off my lawn!
Subscription Only. (Score:3, Funny)
How much to subscribe to it, will there be a discount for annual payment and how much cloud storage is included?
Now we're talking... (Score:2)
A dress with a fly? (Score:2)
Adobe Unveils Dress That Can Change Its Pattern On the Fly
A dress with a fly? I guess it's popular with the trans crowd.
Doesn't matter... (Score:2)
... how many patterns it's capable of displaying.
It will still only be worn once.
Practical question (Score:3)
How does one wash a dress like that?
A dry cleaner will take one look at it and refuse to handle it for fear of being sued for damaging it.
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Rather than wash it, change the pattern to incorporate stains into it!
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How does one wash a dress like that?
A dry cleaner will take one look at it and refuse to handle it for fear of being sued for damaging it.
I'm thinking it would zip on. Unzip the front to wash the regular dress via machine. The front just use an alcohol wipe. Like a screen.
Would be funny to occasionally display hack code or make it look like the green Matrix display. Imagine if someone could hijack the controller to do whatever they want.
TV audience (Score:2)
Looks like Dragon-Armor (Score:2)
Not a dress.
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Halloween (Score:2)
Just in time for Halloween. Adobe is going to make a killing on Halloween costumes.
the future looms (Score:4, Funny)
Eyewitness 1: The bank robber was wearing a green, striped jacket.
Eyewitness 2: The bank robber was wearing a checkboard pattern jacket.
Eyewitness 3: The bank robber was Rorschach.
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Now I'm having Johnny Dangerously flashbacks.
This is great for activists! (Score:3)
They can change their slogan from "Free Tibet" to "Stop The Pipeline" while traveling on the bus from protest to protest.
This reminds me of Monkey Island (Score:1)