Lamps can be pretty, but there are few quite as versatile as Konstantin’s Grcic’s OK Lamp. Both a ceiling fixture, but also kind of a floor lamp, its rotating LED panel can cover almost any possible angle. And it’s form is the marriage of new tech with decades-old design. More »
People inject all kinds of unhealthy things into their bodies for fun, but most stick to illegal drugs and stop short at electronics. But that doesn’t mean it’s not possible; scientists have developed LEDs so small you can shoot them up, and they literally light up your brain. More »
Audi has become the first car manufacturer to have its LED headlights validated as contributing to fuel-economy, with the bulb alternatives shaving off over a gram of CO2 emissions per mile. The LED lights – which Audi uses on five models in its range, from the cheapest A3, through to the R8 coupe – were run through the EU Commission’s dynamometer and found to trim CO2 output by 1.61g/mile, as well as using less power than halogen lights.
A halogen lamp in low-beam mode, for instance, demands 135W of power, Audi points out. In contrast, the German company’s LED lights need around 80W, and the firm uses LEDs for the low-beam, high-beam, and license plate lamps.
The testing specifically looked at the Audi A6, with the EU putting the car through ten NEDC cycles. “As a result,” Audi says, “the EU Commission has officially identified the LED headlights as an innovative technology for reducing CO2 emissions.” It’s the first time a car manufacturer has been certified in this way.
However, not all of Audi’s cars come with the same system, nor indeed with the same amount of LEDs. The A3 has just nineteen to play with, switching between low- and high-beam modes; a separate module handles all-weather and cornering lights. In the A8 luxury sedan, however, there are 76 LEDs in each lamp unit.
It’s not Audi’s first flirtation with headlamp tech potential. Earlier this year it revealed its work on so-called Matrix LED lights, which pair LEDs with reflectors and lenses that are computer controlled to react to the surrounding environment. Data from sensors, cameras, and GPS are crunched, and the output of the lights – in addition to even the angle they project at – is adjusted according to daylight conditions, oncoming traffic, upcoming bends, and more.
Matrix LED headlights are expected to arrive on select Audi models before the end of the year, though the company isn’t the only one to be thinking hard about how LEDs make sense in cars. The 2014 Corvette Stingray, for instance, uses special down-firing LEDs and light-guides to blend the output into solid lines of light, rather than leave it as the individual points of brightness as on an Audi.
Audi takes lead in LED headlight fuel efficiency drive is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Few of us have ever picked up a flashlight and lamented not being able to reprogram it. As long as the batteries aren’t dead and it lights up, we’re happy. But now that HexBright has shown us the advantages of a hackable, open source flashlight, who could ever settle for a locked-down Maglite again? More »
It’s not like they were going anywhere, but it’s kind of surprising to see the same kind of gesture and swipe controls you use on your smartphone now being integrated into something as simple as an LED flashlight. More »
Capitalizing on the whole ‘rising sun’ theme, Japanese designer Satoshi Itasaka created his Sun Rising Lamp that recreates our nearest star as it slowly rises up from behind a mountain. Illuminated by an LED inside the sphere, the lamp is just eight inches wide but will set you back almost $1,400. Expensive, for sure, but when else will you ever have the opportunity to own your own personal sun? [Japan Trend Shop] More »
Whether you think it’s a fantastic expression of creativity, or a horrible waste of money, for the next two years San Francisco’s Bay Bridge will be illuminated every night with 25,000 animated white LEDs. And that like all large-scale projects, there’s a fascinating story behind it. More »
Leave it to Brando to add one of the most obscene iPhone cases we’ve ever seen to its online catalog. If you love the iPhone 5’s minimalist design, you’re going to hate it. But if you love The Avengers, particularly Iron Man, you’ve just found your next iPhone case. More »
You might think all flashlights are created equal, but don’t tell that to a flashaholic. There are large online communities of flashlight aficionados who take their illumination very seriously, and there’s a good chance even they’ll be impressed by LED Lenser’s new F1 which manages to squeeze a whopping 400 lumens from a single CR123 battery. More »
Inspiration can come from anywhere, and the classic spring snake can gag is probably where the idea for this collapsible LED lantern was born. Using a fabric diffuser and a metal spring inside, it transforms from a flashlight to a hanging glowing lantern in less than a second. And let’s be honest, there’s probably a still great opportunity for a camping prank here. More »
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