A Rainbow of Possibilities

The future of the electric lightbulb

Imagine how the electric light bulb profoundly lifted the early twentieth century society out of poverty. Light without smoke must of confounded all who witnessed it for the first time. Today, the humble light bulb is ripe for reinvention.

Uptake of Compact Florescent light bulbs in the last decade has markedly changed the urban landscape. Their relative efficiency is one fifth the incandescent equivalent. Governments and utilities alike are giving them away, likely in order to put off expensive infrastructure investment in power production. Domestic lighting accounts for 12% of electricity production in the US.

But the CF is becoming a bridge technology. Their manufacture requires trace amounts of mercury, which is a hazardous element to be adding to landfill. In some markets, like the US, CF bulbs are not universally accepted. Likely due to their cold unnatural hues. Early examples exhibited a high frequency flicker, much like the florescent tubes they emulate.

LED technology is starting to appear in retail, at a niche price point equal to CF when it first appeared in the late 90s. Their electrical efficiency is only marginally better than CF. But it's the expected lifespan that has appeal, having a service life as long or longer than the fitting it goes into.

The first mass produced LED technology were red diodes used in low power electronic applications. Followed by orange and icy green. Different chemical crystals, produced a unique but dim color. Today, brightness and temperature stability challenges are mostly resolved, but approximating that warm incandescent glow is still elusive.

Enter the programmable RGB LED. A smart piece of circuitry that can use varying intensities of the three elements of white light. Red, green and Blue. With a power source, and a control application, a Smart Bulb owner can dial in the exact color they desire.

A recent Kickstarter campaign for just such a bulb, and custom designed smartphone app was over-subscribed by a factor of ten. The WI-FI connected light proposed a wild variance of possible applications. Such a holiday program of on/off light cycles, which makes it appear you are at home when you are not.

Phillips is the first of the big manufacturers to market with a kit of three screw-in bulbs, and a net-connected base station. They too have produced both an Android and Apple app to control color, intensity and timing for any or all of the bulbs in a mesh of lights about the room or house.

Efficiency gains in the use of these new bulbs may be offset by the standby power they draw during 'off' time. A trickle of current will always be needed for the bulbs to be able to react to the domestic radio frequency commands that are sent to it.

But the advantages in the use of color and intensity together may help promote better sleep patterns. The lights could wake you up with a slow crescendo of cool blue light. Or help you sleep by bathing you in a slowly dimming warm orange glow. These techniques have proven to promote better regulation of hormones in the human body. Seasonal Defective Disorder sufferers could benefit from a similar but slightly tweaked program of color and light.

The push should be on to allow third-party integration with the next generation of light bulb systems. With a vibrant ecosystem of interconnected sensors, and control systems any number of yet to be dreamed applications for the humble light bulb could eventuate.

While modern light generates no smoke, the new generation of lightbulbs on offer could just approximate the glow of a flickering fire.