A few years ago I worked on a design project that was built around a technology called T-Ink. Basically the way it worked was, you printed a circuit board onto a paper surface, the circuit board was connected to low power lights and speakers. When you touched parts of the printed design you completed the circuit and things would light up and make noise. The project never went anywhere do to costs and other hurdles, but it is nice to see that similar technologies not only still exist but they have improved upon them.

Fulton Innovation has developed a system using induction power to create a series of cereal boxes for General Mills that light up in stages to create an eye-catching effect on store shelves. The technology is called eCoupled, and this application is only a demo at this time, but I guarantee you this is going to be rolling out over the next year to store shelves near you.

While I am more of a fan of creating more green packaging, something recyclable, I can see this having a massive impact on the package design industry, or the stationary/greeting card industry. It opens the doors to a number of new, low-cost applications that extend the base products visual appeal.