OLED-Lit Grip (PATENT PENDING, Copyright 11/2008)
OLED-Lit Grip is a handgrip for bicycles, sporting goods, etc. made from a base grip consisting of an injection molded thermoplastic elastomer compound. The base grip is then printed/coated with a low-cost, printable, flexible OLED (Organic-Light-Emitting-Diode) such as that developed by the Technical Research Centre of Finland - the VTT- as reported by Science Daily (Flexible, Affordable Light Source Can Be Printed http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081028132300.htm). Then a clear, transparent thermoplastic elastomer is molded over the top of this OLED-printed-base thermoplastic elastomer grip. Thereby, creating a hand-grip that can provide its own light source. The idea can be applied to similar thermoplastic elastomer based products (i.e. mudflaps, carmats, and so on).