Rainy days are usually gray days and if the rain stays for too long, the gray reflects on our mood as well. Late autumn is such a typical time of the year where gray and rain are often dominant.

To bring some colorful light into rainy days, check out Puddlejumper, an item from Elise Co, multimedia designer and programmer, who demonstrated with her project ever since 2004 how to brighten up those gray days filled with rain.

The Puddlejumper is a luminescent raincoat that glows in the rain. Hand silk screened electroluminescent lamps on the front of the jacket are wired to interior electronics and conductive water sensors on the back and left sleeve. When water hits one of the sensors, the corresponding lamp lights up, creating a flickering pattern of illumination that mirrors the rhythm of rainfall.

Elise used for her project EL technology silk screened onto the raincoats outside fabric, a rather delicate operation but I can very well imagine to use e-textile LEDs which are readily available on the market. This makes things simpler if you plan to light up your rainy days.

The water sensor is simple enough to make, embroidered conductive thread in places where the rain interaction should take place. When the textile gets wet the electricity can flow between the two threads of the sensor and the switch is activated turning on the light. An amazingly simple e-textile water sensor.

A fantastic idea to use the elements to interact with clothing and change the outlook based on environmental influence. I hope the Puddlejumper concept from Elise Co can serve you as source of inspiration to light up your mood even when the rain stays for days.