An everlasting light bulb

A team of researchers working for British company Ceravision has devised a new form of lamp that could see the end of the traditional incandescent light bulb. Though a well-known symbol for a bright idea, the light bulb is not so smart – wasting over 95% of the energy it consumes over its relatively short life span. The Ceravision team have devised a lamp that will not only be more energy efficient, but longer lasting and more environmentally friendly to boot. So where does the difference lie? The main distinction is the elimination of electrodes from the equation, which is the main reason for bulb failure. The Ceravision bulb instead uses microwaves to convert electricity into light, resulting in a more energy-efficient process that transmits up to 50% of the energy as light (as opposed to 5% for traditional bulbs and 15% for fluorescent tubes). These new bulbs are also longer lasting, with scientists predicting they could last for thousands of hours – decades of use. The light is also more directional. With the light emitting from a single point, it should be used to illuminate projectors or televisions. This new design does not require the use of mercury (found in all traditional bulbs), so a switch to Ceravision would prove more environmentally friendly, and the energy efficiency means a reduction in greenhouse gases.

Context-aware computing

Breakthroughs in technology may mean that today’s computers are faster, more powerful and more affordable, but they are also more complex. To avoid leaving consumers out in the cold, they also need to be made easier to use. While the average desktop PC is now ten times more powerful than the world’s fastest computer in 1983, little has progressed in terms of interface since the introduction of Windows in the late 1980s. The interface no longer satisfies the requirements of a device overloaded with features – the Nokia 6680 mobile phone requires 13 clicks just to change a ring tone. Simplification is obviously the way forward, but how is it done? Stephen Spielberg’s film Minority Report gave us a vision of the future in which people operated computers using nothing more than hand gestures. While it may seems a little radical, gesture-based technology already exists in some applications. Designers of the Sensitive Wall aim to fuse the digital and physical worlds with their product – a large screen for shop windows that senses movement, allowing customers to flip through virtual catalogues. Microsoft are rolling out the surface, a horizontal computer that does away with the keyboard and mouse, instead using a multi-touch screen – one that can recognise more than one touch at a time. Particularly good for manipulating graphics, the Surface recognises other devices placed on top of it, and can copy images automatically from them. Touch screens, like that on the iPhone, are especially practical in smaller devices. By getting rid of buttons (virtual controls appear on the screen when needed), there’s more room for a larger screen. Another way to improve the user experience is to have computers make decisions for the operator. Computers could choose not to alert the user of incoming emails so as not to break their concentration. Or mobile phones could detect the location of these users and, for instance, give more priority to voicemail during office hours. Designers, however, warn that it is essential for this kind of decision-making to be discreet. Not so much because the assumptions may be wrong, but because people may take offence to having their behaviour assessed.

Ref: The Economist Technology Quarterly (UK), 8 September 2007, ‘Everlasting light’. www.economist.com
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