Paul Wiper and colleagues, National Graphene Institute, University of Manchester, UK, and the wearable technology company CuteCircuit created the first dress containing graphene. The dress was commissioned by the Manchester shopping center intu Trafford Centre.

Graphene-enhanced sensors in the dress record the breathing rate of the wearer. A microprocessor analyzes the data and powers tiny LED lights placed on graphene elements on the dress. This makes the dress flash or change color in synchronization with the breathing of the wearer. The dress comes with an app which allows changing the way the illumination is shown. This technique allows one dress to appear in any color as well as emotion tracking.

Graphene was first isolated in 2004 by Konstantin Novoselov and Andre Geim, University of Manchester. It is 200 times stronger than steel and conducts electricity. In 2010, the scientists won the Nobel Prize in physics for their work.

• First dress made with graphene unveiled in Manchester, The Guardian January 25, 2017.