Fiat Lux is a lamp with a switch that hovers underneath -no strings attached! The ball-shaped switch is magnetic, and rests on the lamp when not in use. When you approach the lamp, it turns itself on. Then you “hang” the switch underneath, where it levitates by magnetic force. Move the switch to turn the lamp off. Designed by Constance Guisset and Grégory Cid. Link -via Metafilter

Photo by Alan Jaras

Alan Jaras has a creative way of composing his photographs.  By focusing a beam of light through transparent, textured materials, and recording that light directly onto 35mm film without the use of a lens, he produces dazzling works of color and light.  The images are scanned to a computer, but no CG was used at all.  Check out his featured work at two different host sites, or his Flickr.

My Modern Met Link and Neu Black Link

The Blood Lamp only works once, and you need to add of a drop of your blood to activate it! The idea is to stop and think about how badly you need light before you use it. Designer Mike Thompson created the lamp in order to draw attention to how much energy we waste. Link -via Dark Roasted Blend

They say the key is the bright colors in hues to capture different parts of the sun’s light spectrum.

GreenSun, the company behind the technology, says unlike conventional solar panels, these can produce electricity without direct sunlight.

It says the colored panels don’t need to face the sun and can absorb dispersed light.

This means they can also harness energy on a cloudy day, although with less efficiency than on sunny days.

The company says production costs are kept to a minimum because they require less silicon.

There’s a video at the link and it will play automatically when you click on it.

Link

Photo: Jorge Orta, Studio Orta

Jorge Orta is a Paris-based Argentine artist noted for his work with PAE light cannons, which he uses to project images onto mountains or large buildings. The image above was projected onto the Evry Cathedral in France in 1996 and is called “Cardinal Cross.” Other images at the link include projections onto Machu Picchu, inside the Aso volcano in Japan, and the Cathedral at Chartres.

Link via Gizmodo

Designed by Ji-youn Kim, this hanging lamp can shed light in the darkness, but probably won’t make you feel any more secure. What a conversation piece! Link -via Coolest Gadgets

Students at Politechnika Wroc?awska or the Wroclawska University of Technology in Poland had themselves a grand ol’ time rigging their dorm with a light show that played the theme from Knight Rider.

After this clip, check out their website P.I.W.O.3 (Google Translate) for many more video clips.

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by oezicomix.

I made these plastic milk bottle lights by embedding LEDs in the caps, hanging them from a bent section of pipe and hooking them up to an Arduino microcontroller.

Not happy with an on-off switch, I thought they might look mesmerising with a rotary control knob turning them on in sequence. It works! They make great low lighting to wind down for sleep, and they’re great to hang in the hall for parties too.

There are complete build instructions on Instructables.

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by Nachimir.

This would make for a truly disturbing but awesome addition to any home. Hanging Harry is a figurine with a hangman’s noose around his neck that can be used as a light pull.

You can’t help Harry to see the light, it’s too late. Harry is already dead! But Harry can help you to switch on your lights. Hangman’s noose and 2m of rope included so you don’t have to know how to tie your own knots! Just replace the whole cord of your light pull.

Link – via cooldesignideasblog

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by whitespace.

Could flexible organic light-emitting diodes, or OLEDs, be the future of lighting? Don’t worry; I don’t understand that sentence either. Keep reading for a jargon-free explanation.

On General Electric’s research campus in Niskayuna, NY, there is a machine that prints lights. This machine is so good at its job the lights it creates could make traditional lamps and lighting fixtures obsolete. In what sounds to be a relatively simple process, the semitrailer-size machine coats an 8” wide plastic film with chemicals and seals it with a layer of metal foil. When an electric current is applied to the plastic sheet, be prepared to throw on a pair of shades as it emits an ethereal blue glow.

Light from the sheet is produced using compounds known as organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). OLEDs are currently used in television and cell-phone displays and have been embraced by large
manufacturers such as Siemens and Philips.

Link

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by whitespace.

Moonlights are wonderful glowing orbs (or half-orbs) that give off a gentle glow of light, just like its namesake. They are made from polyethylene spheres 13 to 30 inches (33 to about 75 cm) in diameter and can be used indoors and outdoors (or even floating in a pool).

Moonlights aren’t cheap, though – an orb can set you back anywhere from $325 to $1000 – but unlike the Moon, they are guaranteed to illuminate even if the sky is cloudy: Link – via Fortune Small Business | More pics at DVICE – via musecrack

Litroenergy is a new type of material that emits light for 12 years without needing electricity or sun exposure. The self-luminous micro-particles are called Litrospheres and are said to be non-toxic, inexpensive and equivalent to a 20 watt incandescent bulb.

The Litrospheres give off a continuous illumination, and can be designed to glow in any color. In addition, they are not affected by heat or cold, and are 5,000-pound crush resistant. They can be injection molded or added to paint. The fill rate of Litroenergy micro particles in plastic injection molding material or paint is about 20%.

The constant light gives off no U.V. rays, and can be designed to emit almost any color of light desired. What a cool product!!

Via: Treehugger
Source: Peswiki