Bioluminescent Bacteria Give Your Home a Warm Glow

Bioluminescent Bacteria Give Your Home a Warm Glow

8 December 2011 15:04:38 GMT

Progressive lighting firm Philips have been researching alternative ways to light your home and have come up with a fabulous concept for a glow in the dark lamp that uses bioluminescent bacteria! The futuristic lamp glows in much the same way as fireflies and glow worms and is made up of unusual looking hand blown glass jars containing bioluminescent bacteria that will glow green when they're fed methane gas. Read into that what you will, however Philips claim that the methane can be generated by composted bathroom solids and kitchen vegetable waste that's fed through a household waste digester and then to the bacteria through thin silicone tubes connected to a reservoir at the base.

A fantastic concept that is set to pave the way for future sustainable and "green" lighting solutions, plant biologist Jim Haselhoff of Cambridge University said "It's appealing because it brings two things together which you wouldn't normally associate. I don't think you want to imagine that everyone's going to start putting bacterial cultures into their own home for lighting, but as a way of exploring the idea it's quite interesting. When you move out of the normal area - illuminating walkways and things like that - where things could essentially be growing and delivering light for free, that where you're going to have applications."

Philips believes that the lighting could be adapted to illuminate roadside verges with glowing plants "Energy saving bulbs can only take us so far. We need to push ourselves to rethink domestic appliances entirely" said Clive van Heerden of Philips Design "designers have an obligation to understand the urgency of the situation and translate humanity's needs into solutions."

The unusual looking heat free light can be driven indefinitely when given its' key nutrients which are regularly disposed of from the average households, making the concept a very real idea, and whilst the light isn't bright enough yet to replace your standard home lighting, it will certainly fill your home with a warm and hopefully not too stinky glow!