If you are one of those people that gets tired of your car color shortly after you buy it, you’ll love this.
Imagine being able to change the color whenever you feel like it, and change it to any color you can imagine.
The technology is in the works and we may see it emerge as soon as 2010.
How It Works
The human eye sees different colors because of the way light is reflected off of different objects.
Using this principal, a polymer undercoating was developed which contains paramagnetic iron oxide particles.
The particles in these polymers change formation (and subsequently the way they reflect light) when stimulated by an electrical current.
In other words, when you apply electricity, in less than a second they change the color of your entire car.
This coating is called paramagnetic paint and it is applied to the vehicle prior to painting.
A constant electric currant is required to sustain the color, and the default color is white. So when the vehicle is off, so is the color.
The Future is Here
Being able to change the color of your car with the touch of a button still seems like science fiction.
What Might Happen If This Technology Takes Off
The coolness factor alone is enough to move this trend into the consumer market.
However there are a few factors to consider
1. You will probably need to buy that GPS unit just to find your car in the parking lot at Wal Mart.
2. Sooner or later, someone will learn how to hack into car computers and change the color of your car for you.
3. As if car wrapping weren’t bad enough, people will get paid to drive around with high tech advertisements on their cars.
4. There will be a lot more ugly colored cars out there.
There Are Still Reasons We Want One
We’ve just ordered our GPS, and eagerly await this paint’s emergence on the market.
A few reasons we love the idea
1. It WILL impress the ladies.
2. If you are on the run from the police, instantly changing the color of your car could come in handy.
3. Buying an environmentally responsible car won’t sting as bad if it does tricks.
4. They say the color of your car says a lot about you, we can be someone new every day.
The Future of Color-Changing Technology
We can think of many avenues this technology may take in the future.
This polymer can take any metal object with a power source and make it colorful.
Imagine camouflage suits of armor, and appliances that can change color to reflect the users mood.
We are hoping that if these particles can change color, they will be able to display video too.
Hopefully someday we can drive around in Youtube.