(Trust me, don't get any of them started on the mechanisms behind efficiency droop.) Those of us involved in solid-state lighting research are still trying to understand basic science behind diode-emitters in order to increase lumens per watt at the chip level. How many PhDs does it take to design a lightbulb? A LOT. Their award-winning (just white) bulbs hit store shelves this past April, and still cost around $30 each.
The prize was awarded only one year ago and it is rumored that the prize money didn't even cover their development costs. The only company to achieve those goals and win the $10 million prize was a multibillion dollar lighting company, Philips Lighting USA. In fact, it took three years for anyone to meet the Department of Energy's guidelines for an LED-based incandescent replacement bulb. Researchers and developers have been working for years and spending many millions of dollars to create beautiful, warm white light from an LED bulb that is more energy efficient and as bright as a compact fluorescent and standard incandescent.
#Bulb boy kickstarter skin#
There are a metric shit ton of ways LED makers describe and measure the efficiency and quality light from an LED bulb, including the brightness, ability to render colors (skin tones look like skin tones, reds look red), and color temperature or "warmth" of the light. The bulb doesn't even appear to have an option for regular warm white. sheet of their final product and prove me wrong, but I'd be willing to bet they will be (a) not very bright, (b) not as energy efficient as it claims (of which they are vague about) and, (c) the quality of light it emits will be disappointing.
I'd love for these guys to show me their spec. Unfortunately, I'm fairly certain the Lifx bulbs will suck. And it's good news for LED makers that people are eager to get behind these projects, because it means they're willing to shell out >$50 for a tricked-out LED bulb. We are beginning to understand the relationship of light and color and human health, and how gradual changes in color and intensity may aid the wake-sleep cycle.Īlso, a wifi-enabled smart-phone gadget that demonstrates the adaptability of LEDs is great for showcasing their capabilities. Yet, I will admit that color tuning may be the future of lighting. More importantly, are these products solving a problem that exists? Never in my life have I sat in my apartment and thought, "I wish the light in here was more purple." Plus, looking for my phone and firing up some app to adjust the lights in the room seems more annoying than just getting up and turning on a light switch. To me these products seem like gimmicky, glorified party lights.
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