With a zap of light, system switches objects' colors and patterns

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IMAGE: A new system uses UV light projected onto objects coated with light-activated dye to alter the reflective properties of the dye, creating images in minutes.
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Credit: Image courtesy of Michael Wessley, Stefanie Mueller, et al
When was the last time you repainted your car? Redesigned your coffee mug collection? Gave your shoes a colorful facelift?
You likely answered: never, never, and never. You might consider these arduous tasks not worth the effort. But a new color-shifting "programmable matter" system could change that with a zap of light.
MIT researchers have developed a way to rapidly update imagery on object surfaces. The system, dubbed "ChromoUpdate" pairs an ultraviolet (UV) light projector with items coated in light-activated dye. The projected light alters the reflective properties of the dye, creating colorful new images in just a few minutes. The advance could accelerate product development, enabling product designers to churn through prototypes without getting bogged down with painting or printing.

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