This is the 12W NanoLight (100W Equivalent) white lightbulb. The new development is purported to be far more efficient than any existing LED bulb on the planet. (kickstarter.com)
An eye-catching invention that produces as much light as a 100-watt incandescent bulb using just an eighth of the power has become a crowdfunding star for three University of Toronto graduates.
The NanoLight, billed as "the world's most energy-efficient light bulb" has raised $133,022 on the U.S. crowdfunding site Kickstarter and generated pre-orders for more than 3,000 bulbs since the project started seeking backers on Jan. 7.
The project had original hoped to raise $20,000.
"It's been incredible for us," said Gimmy Chu, product developer for Nanolight, the company he founded with Tom Rodinger and Christian Yan, two former teammates on the University of Toronto solar car project whom he met in 2005.
"What's next is to set up manufacturing lines so we can actually start producing for all our backers."
People who have pledged $30 or more to the project on Kickstarter can expect to be among the first to get one of three versions of the Nanolight shipped directly to them for free anywhere in the world:
- 10 watts, equivalent to a 75-watt incandescent bulb.
- 12 watts, equivalent to a 100-watt incandescent bulb.
- An even brighter 12-watt bulb, created "using the best components available without any regard for price."
"To get that kind of efficiency, we had to redesign the whole idea of an LED light bulb from the ground up," recalls Chu, who began working on the project with Rodinger and Yan about three years ago.
Circuit-board origami
Their design consists of a circuit-board with LEDs attached to it, folded up into the shape of a light bulb that plugs into a regular lighting fixture.
"That way it kind of mimics the traditional incandescent light bulb in that it shines light in all directions," Chu said.
According to the Nanolight team, there are currently very few LED lighting products on the market as bright as a 100-watt incandescent bulb. The Nanolight is almost half as heavy as a compact fluorescent light bulb, and unlike fluorescent bulbs, it turns on instantly.
Potential customers will have the opportunity to pre-order the Nanolight on Kickstarter until March 8.
The Nanolight team is currently working on other light bulb models, including one that is dimmable.
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Lifelogging Cameras
Two lifelogging cameras came to prototype this year: Memoto’s <a href="http://memoto.com/">Lifelogging Camera</a> and OMG Life’s <a href="http://www.autographer.com/">Autographer</a>. Both cameras are head-height mounted and automatically snap pictures for you; <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/23/memoto-camera-martin-kallstrom_n_2178095.html">the Memoto every 30 seconds</a> and the Autographer <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/09/24/autographer-new-automatic-camera-wearable_n_1908539.html">whenever it detects changes in “temperature, light, motion, direction and colour.”</a> Given the support both of these projects have received, lifelogging may just become A Thing people start integrating into their everyday lives.
What might such cameras mean? With so many moments stored as photographs, memories will be "searchable" and will stay with the wearer forever. Further down the road, it might mean an end to the government and corporate monopoly on surveillance; now individuals will join entities as surveyors.
Google Glass
One can also “lifelog” with <a href="https://plus.google.com/+projectglass/posts">Google Glass</a>, a wearable computer being developed by Google that projects images in front of users' eyes.
But that's hardly the only thing it does. Google Glass merits it its own entry because it's bring "augmented reality" -- reality enhanced by computer-generated sensory -- a step closer to the consumer market.
We’ve seen augmented reality in fiction for a while now -- just think of <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/21/darpas-new-mind-reading-b_n_1904200.html">Tony Stark’s Iron Man gear,</a> which highlights civilians in green and foes in red and shows Pepper Potts’ face when she telephones. Think the Internet is life-changing? Being able to overlay the tangible world with useful information is the next step, and it’s not a small step either.
Just watch <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c6W4CCU9M4">the video</a> of the prototype to see what we mean. Want the weather? Just put on your Glass and look out the window. Going somewhere? Arrows overlaying the streets will show you where to walk. Subway service suspended? A warning will pop up before you even go into the tunnels.
Essemblix 'Drag-And-Drop' Drugmaking
We can "drag-and-drop" to make drugs like we insert photos into emails? Yep, that started happening in 2012.
The <a href="http://www.parabon-nanolabs.com/nanolabs/therapeutics/">Parabon Essemblix Drug Development Platform</a> uses a "drag and drop computer interface" to assemble compounds atom by atom. <a href="http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=125990">According to the National Science Foundation</a>, "it could drastically reduce the time required to create and test medications."
How drastically? Well, without Essemblix, drugs are built by a slow and expensive process of trial and error; slow and expensive enough that the design-to-product process of even one successful drug <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/site/products/ddbt_0207_Final.xhtml">typically takes on the order of $800 million dollars and 15 years.</a> Most of that money, and most of that time, isn't spent on clinical trials and FDA approval either -- most is spent simply on design and synthesis of new, testable drugs.
But with Essemblix, design and synthesis is no longer a time and money sink; Essemblix drugs, says the National Science Foundation, could be conceived and produced <a href="http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=125990">"in weeks, or even days."</a>
Best of all, the Essemblix has already been used to produce drugs. P24RDN, a brain-cancer medication produced by Parabon, <a href="http://www.parabon-nanolabs.com/nanolabs/therapeutics/">has been shown "safe and effective" in preclinical trials.</a> PJ-01 <a href="http://www.parabon-nanolabs.com/nanolabs/therapeutics/">, a drug made by both Parabon and Janssen Pharmaceuticals</a>, is currently in preclinical trials for the treatment of prostate cancer.
Oculus Rift Virtual Reality Headset
"Virtual reality" had a moment in the mid-90’s, what with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100802/"><em>Total Recall</em></a> and <a href="http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2010/08/virtual-boy/">Virtual Boy.</a> But back in the day, the gaming technology wasn’t quite up to par. Mid-90’s VR displays were <a href="http://codeflow.org/entries/2012/aug/03/oculus-rift/">plagued by weight, menaced by low resolution, doomed to make gamers nauseous</a> -- and eventually, all of them died with a whimper.
But now VR is back, and this time it looks like it’s going to work.
The <a href="http://www.oculusvr.com/">Oculus Rift</a>, made by <a href="http://gamersnewsnetwork.wordpress.com/2012/08/05/a-virtually-amazing-experience/">ModRetro founder Palmer Luckey</a>, boasts a <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57486608-1/gamers-go-ga-ga-over-oculus-rift-virtual-reality-headset/">huge field of vision, resolution approaching Retina-level, and head-tracking sans latency and sans nausea.</a> Better yet, the Rift has a reasonable price tag ($300) and scads of corporate support -- the creators of DOOM <a href="http://www.polygon.com/gaming/2012/8/3/3218320/doom-4-oculus-rift">have announced that they’re making their fourth game Rift-compatible (as well as their re-release of DOOM 3)</a> and a <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/06/notch-wants-0x10c-minecraft-to-support-oculus-rift/">Rift-compatible version of Minecraft is in the works.</a>
<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1523379957/oculus-rift-step-into-the-game">With a $2 million war chest from their Kickstarter campaign and game developers going gaga over the tech</a>, could the Oculus Rift be the biggest thing since Kinect?
Mind-Controlled Cybernetic Limbs
Disabled men and women may gain cyborg limbs if researchers at UC Irvine have their way.
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/06/mind-controlled-robotic-legs-paralyzed-walk_n_1862078.html">A team of engineers at the university have developed a pair of mind-controlled robotic legs</a> that “walk” in response to a person thinking “I want to walk now.” The legs are currently in prototype, and have thus far only been tested on able-bodied people. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/06/mind-controlled-robotic-legs-paralyzed-walk_n_1862078.html">But the UC Irvine team plans to start tests on the disabled soon.</a>
Along with holding the potential of giving the immobile mobility, these legs are just one of several brain-reading technologies invented this year. Besides the mind-controlled legs from UC Irvine, we’ve seen the genesis of <a href="http://neurogadget.com/2012/09/22/meet-the-next-necomimi-a-fluffy-tail-that-wags-with-your-mood-and-shares-your-location/4860">“extremely popular”</a> <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/17/necomimi-mind-controlled-cat-ears_n_1891129.html">mind-controlled robotic cat ears</a> and (perhaps less trivially) the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/21/darpas-new-mind-reading-b_n_1904200.html">crazy mind-reading binoculars from DARPA that spot the enemies your conscious mind doesn’t even know you’ve seen.</a>
Form 1 3D Printer
3D printers found their way into the news in 2012, and it would be a shame not to put one on this list. As tech trends go, this one’s been a long time coming -- for the past year or so, we’ve heard people oooh and aaah over devices that can print <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-burrus/3d-printers-can-now-print_b_1958657.html">jewelry, chairs, human jaw bones, organic chemicals, parts for jet engines</a> and now, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/08/man-3d-printer-rifle_n_1753513.html">guns.</a>
But why the <a href="http://formlabs.com/">Formlabs' Form 1</a> of all 3D printers? It’s a big sell because <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/30/formlabs-3d-printer_n_1920028.html">it brings ultra-precise laser-based printing, previously the hallmark of only the best 3D printers on the market, down to a consumer price point.</a> Suddenly, top-of-the-line 3D printing can be done at home.
Grasshopper Reusable Rocket
We’ve been able to spend humans to space since the 1960s, but it’s never been cheap. Every rocket we’ve made so far has been at least partially disposable -- which means every rocket we’ve ever built leaves pieces in space and has to be partially rebuilt every time it launches.
You may have guessed, this is expensive. The holy grail of rocketry has been a completely reusable rocket, but it’s been the stuff of fantasy -- until now.
Enter Elon Musk, the billionaire PayPal founder who <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/05/mars-colony-elon-musk-how_n_2232435.html">very badly wants to go to Mars</a>. After many years of work, his SpaceX flight company has built the first reusable rocket, which took its first test flight in September 2012.
The rocket, known as the <a href="http://www.spacex.com/updates.php">Grasshopper</a>, is as tall as a 10-story building and has thus far flown twice, once to the height of 6 feet and once to the height of 17.7 feet. Seems like small potatoes maybe, but <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/16/spacex-grasshopper-test-flight_n_2145428.html">both test flights landed safely, the rocket was reused, and the flights further proved that the Grasshopper is capable of vertical take-off and landing</a> -- a necessity when travelling to planets without runways. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/05/mars-colony-elon-musk-how_n_2232435.html">Mars colony, here we come! </a>
Walk into any hardware store and you're presented with rows full of lighting options. Incandescent or fluorescent? 40 watt or 100 watt? Yellow light or...
WASHINGTON — Republicans in Congress are flipping the dimmer switch on a law that sets new energy-savings standards for light bulbs. They've reached a deal...
Besides launching initiatives to cut energy, water and paper use, some leagues and teams have now taken steps to educate fans about how they can reduce their environmental impact.
"The most important single change for most Americans would be to trade in their gas-guzzler for a more fuel-efficient car... At today's gas prices, that would save you as much as $18,000 over the 15-year life of the car."
Congress is debating whether to repeal a 2007 law that requires light bulbs to become more energy efficient. So people have asked me where my great-grandfather Thomas Edison would come down on the issue.
It'd be great if turning off the lights, recycling, and screwing in energy-efficient bulbs would take care of this problem, but the truth is that it's going to take a lot more than that. Although it would be nice to stop the Keystone XL Pipeline, it's going to take more than that, too.
When widespread concern about energy waste caused states to start passing light bulb efficiency standards, the manufacturers sought a uniform national standard and got it.
just Google LED bulbs and you will find they already exist.
Phillips makes a 12.5 Watt - Dimmable - LED Light Bulb
and so do many others, they aren't chaep but they do exist
LED diodes contain toxic materials such as Lead, Arsenic, and other carcinogens. But, this is not exactly a household danger as these materials are sealed away inside the LED, which is also difficult to break. It also contains small amounts of copper which is environmentally destructive to mine.
With that said, I'm still in favor of LED light bulbs as it is a huge improvement in energy efficiency and last a very long time. The copper used could always be recycled from other sources; and the bulbs themselves are recyclable.
markrobinson85: LED diodes contain toxic materials such as Lead, Arsenic, and
Last line in the article: "The Nanolight team is currently working on other light bulb models, including one that is dimmable."
So no not compatible with dim switches I would say.
Dante604: Last line in the article: "The Nanolight team is currently
btw, one of the nicer things about LED,s is that they dont transfer the 60 cycle phasing to the light source, the result is small, but significant, sub liminal detection of phasing is becoming id,d as a problem for some,,Lots of $$ being spent on reducing or eliminating it,, good thang we says,..
Robert_C_Lawson: btw, one of the nicer things about LED,s is that
Very Kewl, man I do so love seeing OOTB in real time,,these days, when the light bulb "goes on in our heads", it is LED, efficient and cheap,.. and that has to be good for us all, no? The rest of the tech smart deals are very clever as well,,that 3 d printer?, that is changing worlds already and more to come, that is a game changer and thatsa fact Jack!,next big deal?.. Nano goes real time, watch for it,, worlds will! collide at that point,,
Robert_C_Lawson: Very Kewl, man I do so love seeing OOTB in
"What's next is to set up manufacturing lines so we can actually start producing for all our backers."
I really hope that they don't abandon the country/province that provided them with the freedom and opportunity to be successful like so many other companies do these days.
I'd really love to see a Made in Canada sticker on these babies :-)
progressivebeat: "What's next is to set up manufacturing lines so we
Made, assembled, built... whatever. If the research and technology is housed here and the production of the units is here then I would consider it Made here, even if some of the compenents are not.
progressivebeat: Made, assembled, built... whatever. If the research and technology is
Okay, I see this as a step forward but there are already LEDs available that will replace incandescents without changing the fixture. They too can produce light equivelant to bulbs up to 100 watts and are readily available. They function at 70 to 82% more efficient then incandescents and have usable life spans in excess of 25,000 hours. Problem is, they are expensive! These guys are charging $30 for this bulb but the regular price of the current LED ranges from 29.95 to 54.95. What will be the price once these go retail and middle men are involved? Unless these things are really super efficient and can retail for less then the easily obtained current LEDs, they will be just another expensive option that most of us can't afford. In my modest home, I have 24 ceiling bulbs and 8 lamps. That's a thousand dollars to replace with these bulbs. Not on my pension bunkie! Better I go to the states and smuggle in the old incandescents or stick with 5 dollar flourescents. Long term savings mean nothing if you haven't got the up front money to convert.
Bumpers_car: Okay, I see this as a step forward but there
The current LEDs are made off shore but the retailers are the ones dictating selling price. I see no reason to beleive that these bulbs will be priced any differently by the wholesalers or retailers. Like all new electronic products, these will appeal to the too terribly geeky and the eco crowd but it will take years for the price to come down to where most of the population are prepared to replace every bulb in the house. Honestly? If these things were the same price or even 10% more than flourescents I would buy them regardless of how ugly they appear. At $30 bucks a bulb for them and even more for the current LEDs, no way.
Bumpers_car: The current LEDs are made off shore but the retailers
I already have my stash of incandescent bulbs mostly from thrift shops at pennies on the dollar and WCB treats the new high efficiency replacement bulbs that have been mandated by our good governance as highly toxic and dangerous that require special treatment in the event that they break! Horrifying burns and flesh etching toxins can result from breakage and/or disposal. Somewhat like solar panels, if you have $30,000 to invest up front then in about twenty years you will start saving money or with fuel efficient vehicles where realizing the savings in gas against capital investment requires decades to capture. I'm with 'Bumpers car' on this one.
Cleesmeek: I already have my stash of incandescent bulbs mostly from
That has always been the problem hasn't it. Developers produce a product designed to sell regardless of price only to those who do not have to pay attention to the price. The rest of us have to cost evaluate based on what the up front costs are and what the long term costs will be over time with regard to the initial price. That's why hybrids are not popular and that's why LEDs and these will be a long time on the shelf as replacement bulbs. There is a valid reason why fuel efficient small 4 cyl cars still outsell the hybrids. It is called "selling price".
Bumpers_car: That has always been the problem hasn't it. Developers produce
Well that is just fascinating -- I love hearing stories of Canadian innovation, particularly when they center around conservation efforts. Kudos to the hard-working folks at U of T!
Vikes88: Well that is just fascinating -- I love hearing stories
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CBC | Posted: 02/04/2013 12:37 pm EST | Updated: 02/05/2013 1:50 pm EST