How
many engineers does it take to change a light bulb? Three, it turns out. The
founders of Hong Kong-based Nanoleaf – former engineering undergrads Gimmy Chu,
Christian Yan and Tom Rodinger – are on a mission to reinvent the humble
invention that has remain unchanged for over a century.
The
result is both unexpected and beautiful. Nanoleaf’s
LED bulb is a geeky origami project – its body is made of folded silicon
instead of glass. According to the company, this design makes it extremely
energy efficient.
“Being
a scientist, Tom has an engineering perspective,” says Yan. “Why use an extra
material like glass? Why not mold the circuit
board in a shape of a light bulb?”
With
every component designed from scratch, the bulb brings 87 percent energy
savings compared to the existing LED variety. It produces 133 lumens-per-watts,
almost double the efficiency of Philips’ 22-watt bulb. The design has another
positive spin-off: more efficiency means less heat, making Nanoleaf’s bulb one
of the coolest around. Literally.
At
US$35 each, it isn’t too far beyond other LED bulbs, so the pricing isn’t
prohibitive considering the long-term
cost savings.
There’s
a trade-off though. A more efficient light bulb has a lower color rendering
index, which means it brings out less of a surrounding’s natural colors, making
the environment less attractive. This has implications for the retail and food
sector, as well as for discerning homeowners.
This
is another engineering problem that the Nanoleaf team wants to solve. It will
also introduce warmer-colored lighting, which homeowners tend to prefer, for
the next iteration of the bulb.
The
startup’s goal is to push the product into as many people’s hands as possible,
which was why they decided to enter fundraising mode.
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