System and method for manipulating color changing materials

A method of manipulating a color displayed by a plurality of articles of wear, each article of wear comprising iron oxide colloidal nanocrystals arranged within chains, the method comprising:

• (a) applying a magnetic field to the plurality of articles of wear;
• (b) applying energy to at least some of the chains of nanocrystals to soften materials within the plurality of articles of wear immediately surrounding the chains of nanocrystals to which the energy is applied;
• (c) adjusting a strength of the magnetic field to control the color displayed by the plurality of articles of wear;
• (d) removing the energy to allow the materials within the plurality of articles of wear immediately surrounding the chains of nanocrystals to harden and fix a location of the nanocrystals within the chains;
• and
• (e) removing the magnetic field.

A method of manipulating a color displayed by an article of wear comprising iron oxide colloidal nanocrystals arranged within chains, the method comprising:

• (a) applying a magnetic field to the article of wear;
• (b) applying energy to at least some of the chains of nanocrystals to soften materials within the article of wear immediately surrounding the chains of nanocrystals to which the energy is applied;
• (c) adjusting a strength of the magnetic field to control the color displayed by the article of wear;
• (d) removing the energy to allow the materials within the article of wear immediately surrounding the chains of nanocrystals to harden and fix a location of the nanocrystals within the chains;
• and
• (e) removing the magnetic field.

A method of manipulating a color displayed by an article of wear comprising iron oxide colloidal nanocrystals arranged within chains embedded within a material or a transfer medium based on performance achievements, the method comprising:

• retrieving an achievement value of a performance parameter;
• retrieving the material or transfer medium information;
• determining a level of achievement based on the achievement value;
• determining a color associated with the level of achievement;
• determining a magnetic field strength required to achieve the color associated with the level of achievement within the material or the transfer medium;
• and
• transmitting the magnetic field strength to a tuning device.

A retail system for manipulating a color displayed by an article of wear comprising iron oxide colloidal nanocrystals arranged within chains embedded within a material or a transfer medium based on performance achievements, the retail system comprising:

• a tuning device comprising:
• a magnetic field source, wherein a strength of a magnetic field generated by the magnetic field source is tunable to control the color displayed by the article of wear;
• and
• an energy source, wherein energy generated by the energy source is applied to at least some of the chains of nanocrystals to soften the material or transfer medium immediately surrounding the chains of nanocrystals to which the energy is applied;
• one or more processors in communication with the tuning device;
• and
• memory including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
• retrieve an achievement value of a performance parameter;
• retrieve the material or transfer medium information;
• determine a level of achievement based on the achievement value;
• determine a color associated with the level of achievement;
• determine a magnetic field strength required to achieve the color associated with the level of achievement within the material or the transfer medium;
• and
• transmit the magnetic field strength to the tuning device.

A method of manipulating a color displayed by an article of wear comprising iron oxide colloidal nanocrystals arranged within chains embedded within a material or a transfer medium based customization preferences, the method comprising:

• retrieving the material or transfer medium information;
• retrieving a list of available colors;
• transmitting the list of available colors to a user interface;
• retrieving a selection of one or more colors;
• determining a magnetic field strength required to achieve the selection of one or more colors within the material or the transfer medium;
• and
• transmitting the magnetic field strength to a tuning device.

A retail system for manipulating a color displayed by an article of wear comprising iron oxide colloidal nanocrystals arranged within chains embedded within a material or a transfer medium based on performance achievements, the retail system comprising:

• a tuning device comprising:
• a magnetic field source, wherein a strength of a magnetic field generated by the magnetic field source is tunable to control the color displayed by the article of wear;
• and
• an energy source, wherein energy generated by the energy source is applied to at least some of the chains of nanocrystals to soften the material or transfer medium immediately surrounding the chains of nanocrystals to which the energy is applied;
• one or more processors in communication with the tuning device;
• and
• memory including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
• retrieve the material or transfer medium information;
• retrieve a list of available colors;
• transmit the list of available colors to a user interface;
• retrieve a selection of one or more colors;
• determine a magnetic field strength required to achieve the selection of one or more colors within the material or the transfer medium;
• and
• transmit the magnetic field strength to the tuning device.