Bio-light: different biological technologies to create ambient light effects

The bio-light is a concept that uses different biological technologies to create ambient light effects. It explores the use of bioluminescent bacteria, which are fed with methane and composted material (drawn from the methane digester in the Microbial Home system). Alternatively the cellular light array can be filled with fluorescent proteins that emit different frequencies of light.

Dutch electronics company, Phillips has created Bio-light, the greener lighting system that is part of their Microbial Home (MH) system. The bioluminescent bacteria, which flourishes on waste generated in the average home, is housed in hand-blown glass cells, clustered together to form a lamp that could easily be displayed in a modern art museum.

Each cell is joined to the lamp’s reservoir base by thin silicon tubes that pipe methane gas from composted bathroom solids and vegetable scraps via a kitchen dodad that digests bio-waste.

Till the time proper nutrients are supplied, the bio-light’s living bacteria can be powered indefinitely. Although the light is not bright enough to fully replace conventional lighting, it does make people conscious of household forms of wasted energy that could be tapped.

“Designers have an obligation to understand the urgency of the situation, and translate humanity’s needs into solutions,” the Discovery News quoted Clive van Heerden, Senior Director of Design-led Innovation at Philips Design, as saying on the website.

“Energy-saving light bulbs will only take us so far. We need to push ourselves to rethink domestic appliances entirely, to rethink how homes consume energy, and how entire communities can pool resources,” Heerden added.