See the world's first graphene dress
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fashion designer Francesca Rosella (R) talks with model Bethan Sowerby as she wears a dress made using graphene during a media event at the Intu Trafford centre shopping complex in Manchester, Britain, Jan. 25, 2017. (REUTERS/Phil Noble)
Two scientists first isolated graphene in 2004 and went on to win a Nobel prize for bringing to the world's attention a "wonder material" that conducts electricity better than anything else and has the potential to revolutionize fields from computing to travel, recounts the Guardian.
It's a safe bet they never foresaw this application: This super thin and strong form of carbon is entering the world of fashion—in the form of a little black dress with tiny LED lights that change color in time with the model's breath.
(See a video here.) Graphene powered the lights and functioned as a sensor, while nylon fabric helped fill out the dress itself. The team behind it says it suggests dresses of the future could change color on the fly, notes Smithsonian.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The dress was created by high-tech clothing expert Francesca Rosella for tech-fashion company Cute Circuit, and Britain's Next Top Model finalist Bethan Sowerby took it for a spin on the catwalk in Manchester, reports the Manchester Evening News.
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Because graphene is, as the BBC describes it, stronger than diamonds yet stretchable like rubber, researchers say it is still in its "infancy" in terms of its use in real-world applications.
The Silicon Republic reports that among several recent breakthroughs, graphene has been shown to transmit massive amounts of electric current at the nano level, which could have far-reaching effects on electronics.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}(Graphene's structure has even inspired a new condom.)
This article originally appeared on Newser: See the World's First Graphene Dress