Curious about those flashing, colorful bracelets worn by Coldplay concert-goers? Debuted at the band’s American Express Unstaged concert in Madrid in October 2011 and used throughout their Myloxyloto tour as a way to make the audience a part of the show, Xylobands are radio-controlled wristbands with LED lights, invented by RB Concepts Ltd., a U.K.-based toy-development company.
Co-owner Jason Regler first had the idea for the wristbands when he saw Coldplay perform at the Glastonbury Festival in 2005. Now available in the U.S. and Canada through TLC Creative, the wristbands also can be used at sporting events, product launches, corporate events, trade shows, and conferences. A receiver in each wristband’s battery-pack case receives radio frequency data that tells it how, when, in what color, and at what speed to flash. Brand logos can be imprinted on the case or on the strap.
TLC Creative supplies a technician to set up the software and transmitter box for a fee that ranges from $1,500 to $2,500; the Xylobands themselves cost between $6 and $7.50 each, depending on quantity and customization.
