Paul Mijnen, the CEO of Ink Invent, suggests Lidar has a dark secret. Vehicles coated in metallic paint largely blend into the background. Less than 1% of the surface is visible perpendicular to a light source.

But he says a solution can be found in a special addition to the paint itself.

When paint incorporates a mixture of his company’s RheoLight, the vehicles light up like multicolored digital Christmas trees. “It helps create contrast for computer vision systems,” he adds. “You can integrate safety into your color design.”

“Color has function. Color has visibility. Color has heat effect.”

The beauty is not limited to the eyes of the digital beholder. A twin-flop effect can make colors appear to flip depending on the direction of a light source.

It’s a significant change to metallic and pearlescent paints that first entered the market from the 1920s to ‘60s, changing existing colors and increasing the “flop” that changes the hue of a vehicle finish depending on the angle of view.

Sixty to 70% of today’s new cars boast effect pigments, he added.

The new pigment and microspheres of RheoLight add depth to existing colors. And the features are also maintained if the finish is scratched and repaired.

“We also have a lot of samples that went through a lot of wear and tear and still works,” Mijnen said.

The end result offers both beauty and safety, he added.

“If we can make safety beautiful then it’s a win-win.”