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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

In these green times, companies are looking everywhere to make a buck — er, save the planet. Philips Simplicity didn’t go much further than the sidewalk to find inspiration for its latest eco-friendly innovation, the Light Blossom, a self-sustainable street lamp that has triple-duty petals. They’re peppered with energy-efficient LEDs to illuminate the street, naturally, but also have solar panels on top and can spin around in a stiff breeze to recharge. At night they’ll emit a soft glow, intended to cut down on light pollution, but will grow brighter whenever a pedestrian comes by. It all sounds wonderfully efficient, but with lights popping on and off as you go, it could make that late-night walk of shame a little more conspicuous than you might like.

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Source: Tim Stevens

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Filed under: Displays, Household

Look, we’re not going to argue that those chintzy clap lamps weren’t pretty sweet in their heyday. And we’re also not going to put up a fuss when you assert that snap bracelets were equally adorable in the early 90s. Nostalgia aside, Fraunhofer IPMS is headed straight for the future with its latest OLED breakthrough. Reportedly, the company has devised an OLED display that can be controlled via human touch or by simply waving one’s hand in front of the panel. Unlike similar applications that have come before it, there’s no additional hardware needed — and therein lies the magic. The outfit is currently showing off the design at the Plastic Electronic 2008 show, though it yet to reveal anything close to a release plan.

[Via OLED-Display]

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Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

It’s hard to say what kind of individual seeks out lighting instruments that even look like eyes, let alone lighting instruments with cloned details of their own eyes, but just in case you know one such person, here’s the perfect FYI for ‘em. Paris-based 5.5 designers are offering a service that enables you to send in images of your eyes (along with a very large sum of money, we presume) in order for the craftspeople to construct eyeball lamps with hints of you splashed all over. Sure gives Rockwell’s one and only jam a whole new meaning, yeah?

[Via ShinyShiny]

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Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

We’ll be straight with you — we’ve never actually waltzed through the rooms at Engadget HQ and had the urge to reproduce the exact output from light A with light B. Evidently, we’re the exception and not the rule. According to a lingering patent application from Philips, it’s seeking to create a system in which sensors could be used to detect “light attributes” from one location and paste them over to another location in order to produce perfectly uniform scenarios throughout the home / office / etc. Heck, it even details a memory bank in order to easily set the mood of the entire building when necessary. Can’t say this is where we envisioned the future of copy-and-paste going, but we suppose it’ll do.

[Via NewScientist, image courtesy of Fusion Lighting]

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Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Interactive nightclubs aren’t entirely unheard of, but we’ll be sure to relieve ourselves just before prancing into any party scene with these displays on the lavatory doors. The small LED Matrix displays can be mounted on both male and female doors, and the image shown can be switched as folks enter and leave. Needless to say, such a setup caused quite a bit of hilariousness / confusion when caught on candid camera, so be sure and take a peek for yourself after the break.

[Via Halfmachine]Continue reading LED displays keep folks guessing at nightclub bathrooms

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Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Those intrigued by the idea of interlocking light blocks but disappointed by the subtlety of some of the current options available may want to take note of Remake Design’s latest creation, which takes the idea to excessive new heights. As you can see, they’ve churned out a series of blocks to let you relive your past Pac-Man adventures on a grand scale, including blocks of dots, ghosts, and Pac-Man himself — no power-ups though, it seems. No word on a price just yet, but given that the firm’s standard set of four solid-colored lights costs $300, you’ll likely have to part with a sizable stash of quarters if you want to add this particular retro touch to your living room

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Source: Donald Melanson

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Filed under: Transportation

Sure, hoverboards may be all the rage in a decade or so, but for now, we’re going to have to give some serious kudos to these bad boys. Designed, created and sold by Photon Light Boards, these LED-covered skateboards are sure to light up the night (and the streets). Each board can be customized to the hilt and features an on / off switch, a thin Li-ion battery / charger and a protective metal plate along the bottom. Instantly interested in ditching your boring deck for one of these creatures? Hit the read link for all the details and a plethora of photos to boot.

[Via BeSportier]

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Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Consumer electronics manufacturer Philips will demo their successor to Ambilight — the ambient lighting technology that generates light effects on the sides of a television — at European expo IFA on August 30. The new technology, named Aurea, will be featured using a film by director Wong Kar called Seduction by Light. From early photos, the new sets incorporate the lighting directly into the frame, instead of using the previous method of a glass frame around the set.

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Source: Erik Hanson

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