You probably don’t give much thought about the artificial light that’s available around you. But hundreds of millions of people don’t have access to electricity; many of these people use kerosene lamps at night, which are not only costly but harmful. That’s why Steve Katsaros named his company Nokero, which is short for “no kerosene.” It certainly sounds better than Sopolibu.
All Nokero bulbs have a built-in solar panel, one or more rechargeable AA batteries, a clip and LEDs. The fully charged batteries can power the lamp up to 8 to 12 hours depending on the model of the light bulb. The light bulbs have high and low brightness settings. The bulbs also have an auto mode that uses the solar panel to detect ambient light. If the bulb senses that it’s already bright enough, the LEDs will automatically turn off.
Another practical feature of Nokero bulbs is that you can replace the rechargeable AA batteries with any AA battery. A standard AA battery won’t be recharged by the bulb’s solar panel, but at least you’ll still have light if the rechargeable battery runs out of charge.
You can buy the LED bulbs directly from Nokero or on Amazon for $15 to $27 (USD) depending on the model. The company also makes smaller lights, flashlights and mobile device chargers.
[via Fancy]
What you see below is not a product of Photoshop. It’s the King Edison Pendant Lamp designed by Young & Battaglia, and it’s a cross between a light bulb and a chandelier.
Now normally, the chandelier would have a bunch of bulbs installed all around it. The tables are turned in this unusual lamp, though, as the chandelier is found inside a larger-than-usual “light bulb” with a diameter of 15 centimeters. It’s definitely an unusual piece to have in your home.
The King Edison is described as a combination of “the pure simplicity of an Edison light bulb with the romance and glamour of a Kings chandelier”, consisting of “a miniature brass chandelier inside a hand blown clear glass shade and satin chrome fittings.”
Something as intricate and unique as this obviously doesn’t come cheap. The King Edison is available online from Mineheart for £480 (~ $737 USD).
[via Gizmodo via Geekologie & INDULGD]
Already being used as a large-scale power source for housing heating/cooling & biodiesel creation, algae as a natural energy source is one of the more exciting alternatives of the near future. The AlgaeBulb is an exploration into the use of the organisms on a micro-scale in single LED lightbulb that harnesses the green-power of algae. Using a small air pump compressor, tank, and hydrophobic material, it creates just enough electricity to power the LED for limited durations. Hit the jump to see how it works!
Designer: Gyula Bodonyi
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(Living Light Bulbs was originally posted on Yanko Design)
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LED light bulbs are becoming more common and affordable, but a company called Greenwave Reality made the energy-saving light source even cooler. The company’s Connected Lighting Solution is a kit that includes LED bulbs that can be controlled via a mobile app. It’s one more reason to keep your phone out of your kids’ hands.
While not nearly as cool and showy as LIFX wi-fi lighting, the Greenwave kit is all about convenience and energy savings for consumers. You only need to screw in the bulbs to existing sockets and then plug in the adapter to your router. No complicated setup is necessary. You can then toggle or dim many bulbs at once using the remote control or the mobile app. No more fumbling for light switches in the dark (although you can still use the switches if you want to).
But it’s also a boon for electric companies. Aside from being cheaper than conventional light bulbs, the kit can keep track of their electricity consumption and other usage information. Which is why Greenwave Reality will sell the kit to the companies, and not to end users. Before you complain, know that each kit costs $200 (USD), and only includes 4 bulbs. The plan is for electric companies to buy the kit from Greenwave Reality and then sell them to consumers at a subsidized cost. Everybody wins. Except the old light bulb, that is.
[via Technology Review via DVICE]
We've seen connected light bulbs before, some more sophisticated than others, but they're rarely as straightforward as GreenWave Reality's just-shipping Connected Lighting Solution. Eco-friendly LED bulbs in the lineup include support for WiFi and are immediately controllable from a smartphone or tablet as soon as they're receiving power. Basics controls like group presets and timed lighting are just the start; if you're not worried about leaving anyone in the dark, the bulbs can respond to motion sensors and only illuminate the rooms that need attention. And while the intelligence isn't new in itself, GreenWave would argue that sheer accessibility gives it an edge, with electric utilities in Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden skipping the retail middleman by selling directly. Don't despair if you live in the US: the linked-up lighting is cleared for eventual use by Americans who'd like to save both energy and a trip to the light switch.
Filed under: Household
GreenWave Reality ships WiFi-aware light bulbs that flick on through motion and smartphones originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Oct 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Every once in a while, someone tries to give the humble light bulb a little next-gen flavor. This time, we're adding Bluetooth 4.0 to the mix. Why, you ask? Good question, and one with a simple answer. The Bluetooth Bulb lets you pair your phone with one or more of the lights in your home, and then control them via an app. Switch them on, off, change brightness, set a timer, and a special RGB bulb even lets you change the color ambiance. If you're worried about the cost and waste when these things burn out, fear not, as apparently every part is replaceable -- and as there's no home automation system involved -- you won't need anything else to get set up. If this idea switches you on, you might have to hold out a little longer, as the product is just a patented prototype right now. Sights are set on mass production, but you'll have to stick with your old clapper for the time being.
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Bluetooth Bulb lets you switch on, time, dim and color your lighting from your phone (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Aug 2012 12:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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ARM isn't content with dominating the mobile space. It's been by the far the most vocal about an Internet of Things where everything is connected -- and to make that happen, it just established an industry forum in the UK that it hopes will establish common ground for all those internet-linked light bulbs, refrigerators and thermostats. Home energy firm Alertme, cloud-aware sensing outfit AquaMW, lighting maker EnLight and white space wireless guru Neul will start meeting with ARM from August 24th onwards to hash out our automated, eco-friendly future. There's a certain urgency in this for the chip designer: it expects 50 billion devices on the grid by 2020. With IDC estimating a billion new connected devices just in 2011, the clock on that connected device transition is ticking very loudly.
Filed under: Household, Internet
ARM forms UK group to foster an Internet of Things, put 50 billion devices online by 2020 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 19:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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