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STRESS RELIEF
FIFTY SHADES OF SPIDER SILK
In March, Bolt Threads of Emeryville, Calif., debuted its first attempt at commer-
cial apparel production—a necktie made of 100% synthetic spider silk. The company was
founded based on curiosity about natural spider silk and the idea of engineering novel
protein materials. During its R&D phase, the Bolt team developed a way to closely mimic
silk created in nature, with the goal of pioneeringmore sustainable and nontoxic process-
es for mass textile production. At the 2017 South by Southwest Festival held last month in
Austin, Texas, the company announced a limited edition tie, reportedly the first synthetic
spider silk product ever available for purchase. The unisex tie, made by humans using
the company’s proprietary technology, is the culmination of seven years of research and
design. Fifty neckties were sold on the company’s website via a lottery, which ran from
March 11-14. Lucky winners were able to purchase a tie for $314. boltthreads.com.
DECORATING GOES DIGITAL
Changing paint color may soon be as simple as pressing a button, due to a newly de-
veloped digital ceramic panel developed by Italian scientists. Using innovative photonics
technology, the luminous electronic tile project—Lumentile—combines the simplicity of
a plain ceramic tile with the complexity of sophisticated touchscreen technology, cre-
ating a light source with unprecedented interaction. This lighting project is reportedly
the first to embed electronics into ceramics or glass for a large-scale application. With
the ability to play videos or display images, tiles allow users to turn a wall into a large
cinematic screen, where each individual unit acts as a set of pixels of the overall display.
A combination of ceramic, glass, and organic electronics, the digital tile includes struc-
tural materials, solid-state light sources, and electronic chips that can be controlled by a
central computer, smartphone, or tablet. Each tile has its own internal power source and
can be switched off so that silver, black, or white is the default setting. In 2016, Lumentile received a grant of more than $2.6 million
from Horizon 2020 via the Photonics Public Private Partnership. The project is scaling up for mass production by the end of 2020.
PAINT CAN MOSAIC SETS WORLD RECORD
PPG Comex, Mexico City, and its network of over 750
paint dealers, recently collaborated in Acapulco, Mexico, to
achieve the Guinness World Records title for the largest mo-
saic in the world created with paint cans. The artwork includ-
ed 4900 cans of Comex paint, which is now being donated to
help beautify spaces in needy areas of Mexico.
Plastic and visual artist Triana Parera created the de-
sign concept, along with graphic designer and illustrator
Jimena Montemayor, who is known in Mexico as JIMO. The
mosaic was created using the company’s Vinimex Total paint
in eight colors, covering an area of approximately 538 square
feet (50 square meters). ppg.com, guinnessworldrecords.com.
Courtesy of Business Wire.
The world’s first 100% synthetic spider
silk tie. Courtesy of Bolt Threads.
Lumentile ceramic tile.