Colors

Digital data storage is far from permanent. The data on your hard drive or flash drive probably won't last more than a few decades, but Harvard researchers have created what they say is a much longer-term alternative using spots of glowing dye.

Although some people may think that electric cars can run forever, their motors do wear out over time. According to a new study, special dyes could allow drivers and mechanics to know when that time is about to come.

Imagine if you were a product designer who wanted to see what an actual physical object would look like in different colors or patterns. Well, MIT has designed a system that allows users to easily do just that, utilizing photochromic dyes.

It may seem like a basic color, but blue is actually rather rare in the natural world. That complicates the search for natural blue food colorings, but now a team of scientists has found a promising candidate hiding in red cabbage.

Chronic skin wounds such as pressure ulcers can become very serious if left untreated, potentially even leading to amputations. A new "smart" bandage could help, by changing color before such wounds occur in the first place.

When a rope is heated – either by friction or by fire – it may lose its structural integrity, subsequently breaking when put under load. A new surface coating, however, could cause ropes to change color if they've been overheated, providing a warning to users.

It can sometimes be challenging for ophthalmologists, making definitive on-the-spot diagnoses of eye problems. A new "smart" contact lens is designed to help, however, by changing color in response to two common disorders.

A group of Polish entrepreneurs claim to have developed a pen that writes in almost any color, in the form of the Artera.

MIT scientists have developed a new system that allows coated objects to take on intricate multi-colored patterns when exposed to ultraviolet light.

​Even though road signs already tend to be highly reflective, some night-time drivers still don't notice the things. New technology could help, as it causes signs to reflect in an attention-getting rainbow of changing colors.

​It was just last year that we heard about Vollebak's Black Light Jacket, which incorporates a series of black spots that reflect white in bright light. The company's new Black Squid Jacket takes things several steps further, as the whole thing reflects in a rainbow of colors.

​While there are already electronic devices that detect toxic gases, they can be expensive, and require training to properly use. Soon, though, there could be a cheap and simple alternative – threads woven into washable clothing, that change color when nasty gases are present.