The 90s are back and better than ever, with Hypercolor-style material science now making its way onto exterior surfaces, robust enough to withstand external weather but with the same color-changing properties you know and love from those once-cool t-shirts.

Potential applications of Olikrom are many, from tracing air paths across model airplanes wind tunnel simulations to creating buildings that change color, brighten or darken by night or day.

Prefab panels could be installed, or existing buildings repainted to create desired effects in all kinds of different conditions, from wall-touch interactivity to colors optimized around sky conditions or times of day.

Of course, there are many fun possibilities as well, like adding color-sensitive paint to coffee mugs to determine how hot and full they are, or creating a really cool every-changing car paint pattern as show in the video above.

Taking the playful side a bit further, variants on Neverwet-style, appear-on-demand graffiti are also possible – hidden appear-after-dark messages or stealth art on sidewalks and walls, or more on the practical side: touch-or-temperature-activated warnings when streets are wet.