World's Largest Wearable LED Display At The MSI

By Tony Peregrin in Arts & Entertainment on Nov 24, 2009 5:20PM

A woman who slips into the new Galaxy Dress will literally ‘light up the room’ thanks to a new prototype gown created by Francesca Rosella and Ryan Genz of the London-based company CuteCircuit. The dress is embroidered with 24,000 full-color LEDs, and according to the Museum of Science and Industry, is the largest wearable LED display in the world. The design duo used flat, paper-like LEDs which were hand-embroidered onto four layers of silk chiffon to diffuse the light and give the dress a fluid, iridescent glow.

Incredibly, the LED bulbs consume a tiny amount of electricity and can be powered by a number of small iPod batteries that are placed inside the crinoline skirt. The Galaxy Dress glows for about 30-minutes to an hour before it needs recharging, but even when the dress goes dark it continues to sparkle, thanks to the more than 4,000 Swarovski crystals (ranging from clear to bright pink) sewn into the gown. According to the designers, the dress consumes the same electricity as two household bulbs. She blinded us with science. Science!

CuteCircuit’s vision is to make technology “more usable, emotionally fulfilling, and fun.” In 2006, their ‘Hug Shirt,’ which transmits hugs over distances using sensors embedded in the garment, was named on of the Best Inventions of the Year by Time magazine.

The Galaxy Dress is currently on permanent display at the Museum of Science and Industry as part of its Fast Forward…Inventing the Future exhibit.