Inhabitat » PHILIPS LED BULBS

November 5, 2005

PHILIPS LED BULBS

LED technology is often heralded as the future of lighting - and for good reason. LEDs are easy to produce, generate very little heat, and are super energy efficient, using only one-eighth of the power of traditional bulbs and less than half that of fluorescent lights. Now our favorite avant-electronics company, Philips, has come out with some stunning new designs for interactive LED lightbulbs.

Inspired by the thought “Why couldn’t changing a room’s ambience be as simple as switching on the TV?’” Philips has come up with a variety of ways to adjust the color, brightness and tone of a bulb with simple, intuitive hand gestures, such as touching or twisting. The “Simplicty” LED bulbs are so nicely designed (with a wide variety of interesting shapes to choose from) that it eliminates the need for any sort of lamp covering. I particularly like this icosahedral shape, which looks a bit like a biological representation of a virus.

These LED bulb designs are part of the larger Philips Sense & Simplicty design project, which the company haas been working on for the past year to demonstrate the power of simplicity-led design in driving innovation.

In Paris in September, Philips launched 25 new design concepts at The Simplicity Event at L’ Espace Grande Arche. In addition to the LED bulbs, the Simplicity line includes Herbarium, a tiny “smart” greenhouse, the Air Tree, a decorative humidifier / air purifier, and the Chameleon, a lamp which can change to match the color of any item you show it.

Photos from ShinyShiny

9 Responses to “PHILIPS LED BULBS”

sassy_red_head Says:

November 6th, 2005 at 1:20 am

Are these available for purchase right now?

Do they require special fixtures or do they fit intostandard fixtures?

George M. Says:

November 6th, 2005 at 4:09 am

The Photos are Simply Breathtaking - even if they weren’t energy efficient, would be worth it for the aesthetic ambience alone!

juicymixx Says:

November 7th, 2005 at 2:11 am

1) When will these be available?
2) Where can we purchase these?
3) What price?

Sheldon Says:

November 7th, 2005 at 8:38 am

sassy_red_head & juicymixx> 3-5 years was mentioned in the Business Week Online article! I wouldn’t expect anything even close for at least one year.
As for the fittings, it looks as though they are currently designed around existing types of light fittings (bayonet or screw). It seems a bit pointless creating LED lights that fit standard fittings (or indeed are to be used in a similar way) as the real beauty of LEDs is that they can be made thinner, into more elaborate shapes and not be limited by their fittings (there is no need for them to be easily replacable given a 10+year lifetime).
Having followed the LED technology for a number of years I’m surprised its still taking this long for realised LED designs, about 3 years ago I was reading about commercially available high-power LEDs (~5w) so why there has been nothing is a tad frustrating. Ho Hum.

B. Lewis Says:

December 20th, 2005 at 5:39 am

Form : Function, As an environmentalist, I always look out for new efficient technologies. The mind set here is wonderful in that it can show that to be green doesn’t mean devolution. A clean, modern, & responsible lifestyle without the patchouli can be had. Enjoy life.

Joanne Says:

August 17th, 2006 at 9:43 pm

WOW! This is so beautiful — I would love to see a series of them in a room. I’m sure the effect will be magic. Can’t wait to learn when they are available. Adding to the beauty of the design is the positive, healing effect. We can all use that.

Justin Says:

September 12th, 2006 at 5:06 am

while nothing quite as beautiful, and probably not quite as multi-functional as the philips LEDs are available yet, basic LED bulbs that can fit into normal lighting fixtures are already available and both the cost and sustainability benefits are already at the palms of your hands. just look around. i found this out from thinkgeek.com, but it’s definitely for resale in more common domains.

LedLightRay : Philips LED Technology Says:

May 5th, 2007 at 10:38 am

[…] past year to demonstrate the power of simplicity-led design in driving innovation. Originaly from Inhabitat. Photos from ShinyShiny. Field under:ambiental lighting design energy inovation led led bulbs […]