LED-Wrapped Lexus IS interacts with sounds and gestures [video]

Lexus today unveiled a custom LED-wrapped IS sedan capable of broadcasting dynamic graphics and videos. The sports sedan features 41,999 programmable LEDs, allowing it to interact with sounds and people in its vicinity.

The car, called the LIT IS, is featured in UK chart-topping artist Dua Lipa’s new music video for her hit song “Be the One.” The first-of-its-kind collaboration pairs Dua Lipa’s powerful vocals with an ethereal storyline, featuring the vehicle as a character and visual anchor in a story that also casts actor Ansel Elgort (“Divergent”; “The Fault in Our Stars”) as Dua’s former love.

This unique collaboration between Lexus and Vevo is designed to showcase the facelifted 2017 Lexus IS as a work of art, technology and design through the lens of a music video. To create the LIT IS, Lexus used hand-applied LEDs to turn the vehicle into a screen. In addition to broadcasting graphics, the LIT IS can also generate colorful animations in response to gestures and music, essentially transforming into a car with expression.

“A car as visually striking as the LIT IS required an equally dramatic debut,” said Brian Bolain, Lexus general manager of product and consumer marketing. “A music video was a perfect place to launch the LIT IS and working with Dua Lipa allowed the concept to come to life, putting a spotlight on the Lexus IS in an entirely new way.”

The custom car produces 175,000 lumens when fully illuminated, and the LED strips, if placed end-to-end, would stretch half a mile in length. It features three distinct modes. Attract mode features a loop of colorful graphics that highlight the lines of the IS and play into its bold styling. Music Viz mode is designed to respond to music, as the LEDs will create custom, responsive displays that perfectly sync to any song. Gesture mode allows the motion of the LED animations to be controlled by users’ hand movements with the help of a gaming console. This mode directly connects the car and the driver, allowing the person to send a signal and see the car respond.