Philips leads EU luminous textiles project

The goal is to create light sources that are “flexible, supple and also soft, just like textiles,” says Christian Dalsgaard, director of the Danish firm Ohmatex, and the European Union is backing 12 partners in five countries to develop intelligent light textiles. The project, led by Royal Philips Electronics, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, will receive more than 80 million kroner in funding from the EU for the next three years to jump start what promises to be a lucrative market for lighting innovation. The ultimate aim of this PLACE-it (Platform for Large Area Comformable Electronics by InTegration) initiative is to realize an industrial platform for thin, lightweight and flexible optoelectronics systems. Philips hopes to integrate light into ceilings, walls, floors, furniture, soft furnishings, and even garments. The company currently produces Lumalive, a light-emitting textile used on costumes and clothing. Find out more at www.research.philips.com/newscenter/archive/2010/100315-place-it.html.