We confess that we follow the excellent site All LED Lighting with more than professional interest, because LED lighting is just generally so cool. But today, Keith Dawson's site carries an announcement of really tiny LEDs designed for use in wearable gear. The Plessy "dotLEDs" are 1 mm by 0.5 mm, and 0.2 mm thick and produce 0.7 lumens. You could put six or eight of them … [Read more...]
Researchers Develop LEDs 3 Atoms Thick
Scientists at the University of Washington have developed LEDs out of tungsten selenide that are only three atoms thick. The story from EE Times says that conventional inorganic LEDs are much thicker than organic LEDs, which makes them not especially useful for wearable devices. And it's not clear whether the LEDs in U of W work will have sufficient output for general … [Read more...]
LED Motorcycle Jackets to Save Kenyan Lives
The urban transportation system in Kenya is apparently chaotic and relies at least partly on a system of motorcycle taxis called "boda bodas." Those taxis are somewhat less than safe, according to a report in the Kenyan Standard, partly because drivers weave in and out of traffic and make turns unpredictably. Kenyan entrepreneurs Joseph and Charles Muchene are developing the … [Read more...]
LED Bike Turn Signal Gloves
We weren't expecting much on the day after Thanksgiving, but we found this morning a truly awesome idea: bicycle gloves with high-output LEDs that function as directional signals. Check this video: [youtube www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJLzunjOpBU] Zach Vorheis was a programmer for Google Earth who found his way into the fashion tech world and came up with this … [Read more...]