SMS LED Pillows
by Justin Thomas, Virginia 
on 09. 1.05
Philips has designed an energy efficient "electronic pillow" that allows you to receive important messages and er...symbols of love via LEDs embedded in the fabric. The researchers integrated flexible multicolored LEDs into fabrics without compromising the softness of the cloth. Besides pillows, the pixelated luminaries have been embedded in objects like backpacks and floor mats. The next version will feature a much higher resolution. :: Digital Home Magazine via WMMNA
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It might not be quite as efficient as having a dedicated LED lamp pointed directly at a book, but I could imagine that something like this could make for a fun (and still decently efficient) lamp for reading in bed, getting out of bed in the dark, etc.
What is the green value of turning something that consumed no energy into something that does? It seems like a pretty tacky product not in line with the rest of this great website.....the views expressed are my own....
Imagination has a lot of green value - thinking of new things to use can lead us to thinking of new ways to use the things we have. I think that tacky products and conceptual designs that will never be practical or sustainably produced are still fair game for this website. For example, soft pixellated LED cloth, or the technology used to manufacture it, could have lots of applications other than pillows, that might be more useful or imaginative. Putting it in a pillow, though, is a good way to demonstrate it because it gives a tangible sense of how soft and flexible the product must be.