Special Inks Make This a Mood Scarf #WearableWednesday

I remember the excitement when Hypercolor shirts were a thing. Your friends would all pat you on the back and there would be insane gymnastic feats to sweat them up to change color. They were fun and I feel like it’s been a while since we got to play with color in that way. However, a few designers and researchers are giving these special inks a go, including NEFFA, which designed this fashionable accessory I stumbled upon on PSFK. It’s called the Chameleon Scarf and uses three different types of ink to sense change, while also making use of different silk chiffon layers. One pattern uses thermochromic ink and reacts to body heat, another layer uses photoluminescent ink and glows in the dark, while a final pattern uses photochromic ink and reacts to sunlight. So, one scarf can really be quite dimensional in the colors it relays, just like the animal it was inspired by. Is it really reflecting mood? Well, you can argue that people tend to be warmer when they are angry or excited. Also, sunshine is known to be a mood lifter. Check out this study by a group of researchers in Finland that asked people to map their emotions to their body. Makes you want to start paying attention to your feelings, right? So, there seems to be a good reason to look at sensing materials to help display what is really going on. Unlike LEDs, these inks offer a more toned down version of color change and can easily make their way into a conservative office.

Of course, if you are not scared of something with a bit more splash, you should definitely check out our Chameleon Scarf tutorial. You can hack an inexpensive scarf  with a FLORA, Color Sensor and NeoPixels, and have the ability to change the scarf color based on your outfit. If you haven’t played with a color sensor before, you are in for some fun. You can even astound friends and make your scarf match your lunch! So, start looking for the perfect scarf to go with your cami. Night time at the shore will be extra special.


Flora breadboard is Every Wednesday is Wearable Wednesday here at Adafruit! We’re bringing you the blinkiest, most fashionable, innovative, and useful wearables from around the web and in our own original projects featuring our wearable Arduino-compatible platform, FLORA. Be sure to post up your wearables projects in the forums or send us a link and you might be featured here on Wearable Wednesday!


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