The worlds biggest lighting maker Philips has started to commercialize do-it-yourself kits with small glowing wafers called “Lumiblades”, in red, white, blue or green, at almost USD 100 per square inc…
The worlds biggest lighting maker Philips has started to commercialize do-it-yourself kits with small glowing wafers called “Lumiblades”, in red, white, blue or green, at almost USD 100 per square inch, and up to USD 700 for a piece the size of a cell phone. This is one of the first opportunities that normal people (not working in research labs) have to get their hands on lights made from organic light emitting diodes, or OLEDs. In this way, the company aims at getting designers, architects and other creative types thinking about how these flat lights can be used, and to start collaborating on products. OLEDs are presently being developed by major illumination companies such as General Electric Co., Siemens AG and Royal Philips Electronics NV, who say that the technology will eventually be more efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs, energy-saving compact fluorescent lights and even the LED lights just now reaching the market. The key advantage of OLEDs is that they emit light evenly from an entire surface, and not just from a single point, thus eliminating the need for lampshades and other coverings that scatter light and protect eyes from glare. “We believe that OLEDs have a lot to offer in terms of design, in terms of its beauty, in terms of light effects,” said Dietrich Bertram, who heads Philips OLED operations in Aachen. Since Philips began to sell the Lumiblades kits in April 2009, more than 100 have been sold, and are used mainly for prototyping. London-based artists Random International used 1,024 Lumiblades to make an art installation titled “You Fade to Light.” When people walk past the 9 x 4.25 ft. structure, a camera and computer switch off the lights on panels opposite the passers-by, imitating their motion, like a giant monitor. “Having worked with the OLEDs, I see it as far more of a material than a light source,” said Hannes Kochs, one of the installations designers. The diffuse light cast by the OLED panels makes them “stunning, and utterly different“ from other kinds of light, he said. When switched off, Lumiblades look like small mirrors, with an aluminium backing between two panes of glass. When switched on, a microscopic layer of organic material inside starts to emit light, and the Lumiblade glows, with only a very slight hint of warmth. The kits are sold online and come only with a simple wire, along with a manual that states: “All the contents of this experience kit are engineering samples only and do not comply with existing lighting and safety norms“. According to Philips, interest is coming from artists, architects and jewellers, and enquiries regard industrial applications that require very even lighting. Philips and other companies are working separately with vehicle makers to use OLEDs in display panels, where their thinness and coolness would be valuable, while TVs with OLED-based displays also are starting to be seen. Philips eventually aims to commercialize window glass that is transparent during the day and emits light at night. GE, which is presently developing cheap, flexible OLEDs encased in plastic, is thinking about rollable, light-emitting window blinds.