Ynvisible, Partners to Introduce Printed Electrochromics to Designers of Consumer Products

Ynvisible Interactive Inc. announced that in partnership with a consortium of 14 European partner companies and research institutions, it has kicked off a project to enhance the integration of printed electrochromics (EC) into consumer products at the level of the product design community.
 
The project, codenamed DecoChrom (for “Decorative Applications for Self-Organized Molecular Electrochromic Systems”) has been granted up to €6.68 million ($10.7 million) from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program over four years under the call topic “Advanced materials and innovative design for improved functionality and aesthetics in high added value consumer goods.”
 
DecoChrom’s primary objective is to technologically elevate printed graphics products into the age of interactivity. The multidisciplinary consortium brings together leaders in design, chemistry, printing, coatings and laminates, and electronics integration, to ynvisible’s offering of complete printed electrochromics solutions. DecoChrom’s mission is to bring ultra-low-power interactive graphics solutions for smart consumer products to print industry compatibility and generally accepted standards of mass production.
 
Manufacturing integration onto paper, high-pressure laminates, and durable 3D plastic parts will be developed from prototyping through to industrial scale capability. The design community will be engaged with the possibilities of EC displays through prototypes created by the project team and a series of hands-on workshops.
 
More than 20 creative industry lead end-user prototypes will be designed and produced in the areas of furniture, interior design, lifestyle and sports. To that end, DecoChrom’s Industrial Advisory Board consists of global brand leaders in the furniture, toy, sports equipment, automotive, and kitchen & garden appliances industries, plus companies in the printed and structural electronics sector.
 
DecoChrom is co-ordinated by the University of Lapland, Finland. Principal investigator Prof. Jonna Häkkilä sees great cultural, economic and societal impacts for printed electrochromics.
 
“For centuries printing and printed materials have been at the heart of communication and self-expression,” Häkkilä observed. “Graphics and color continue to shape our cultural identities. It is a universal means of expression. With printed electrochromics, we are creating a new paradigm of printed graphics products that include interactivity.”
 
Ynvisible brought together the DecoChrom consortium and has a major role in the collaborative effort through its European subsidiary YD Ynvisible, S.A.
 
“Our company is commercializing printed electrochromics as the face of the Internet of Things,” said Jani-Mikael Kuusisto, CEO of Ynvisible Interactive Inc. “This collaborative effort advances printed electrochromics integration into consumer products and will help drive the paradigm shift toward printed interactive graphics.”
 
Ynvisible has a $1.60 million project budget for DecoChrom with an EU contribution of $1.12 million.