Photo: Optics Express
It`s funny how our ‘modern technology’ runs into its limitations, we always turn to nature to find a solution or workaround for the problem. Examples are many, and they only stand to prove that we still have a lot to learn, and that we are not as ‘advanced’ as we say we are.
One particularly interesting example of just that is a new kind of LED (light emitting diode) which scientists say gives off 50% more light. Where is the nature reference?
Well, the scientists behind the concept studied the Photuris firefly, and discovered that they give off their luminescence through the cuticle of their exoskeleton. The problem is that some of the light gets reflected back into the cuticle, and therefor the actual brightness is reduced.
LEDs suffer a similar problem, and with the help of the Photuris firefly, the bright minds (pun intended) behind the idea realized that the key were the scales seen in the cuticle, when put under a powerful microscope. They look very much like the shingles you would see on an old house, and the light gets reflected off their edges, thus boosting the brightness back up!
If the scientists are right, then all LEDs could be brighter by as much as 50%. The structure of the scales can be reproduced using precise lasers, on the surface of the actual diode.
Annick Bay, a Ph.D. student from Belgium, which was part of the research team, said: “The most important aspect of this work is that it shows how much we can learn by carefully observing nature,” which brings us neatly back to the idea at the beginning of the article.
Also, considering the fact that LEDs are very widely used in millions of different devices and gadgets, making ones which use up just half the energy to produce the same amount of light they do now would meen massive energy savings around the world.
Story via gizmag.com
Well, the scientists behind the concept studied the Photuris firefly, and discovered that they give off their luminescence through the cuticle of their exoskeleton. The problem is that some of the light gets reflected back into the cuticle, and therefor the actual brightness is reduced.
LEDs suffer a similar problem, and with the help of the Photuris firefly, the bright minds (pun intended) behind the idea realized that the key were the scales seen in the cuticle, when put under a powerful microscope. They look very much like the shingles you would see on an old house, and the light gets reflected off their edges, thus boosting the brightness back up!
If the scientists are right, then all LEDs could be brighter by as much as 50%. The structure of the scales can be reproduced using precise lasers, on the surface of the actual diode.
Annick Bay, a Ph.D. student from Belgium, which was part of the research team, said: “The most important aspect of this work is that it shows how much we can learn by carefully observing nature,” which brings us neatly back to the idea at the beginning of the article.
Also, considering the fact that LEDs are very widely used in millions of different devices and gadgets, making ones which use up just half the energy to produce the same amount of light they do now would meen massive energy savings around the world.
Story via gizmag.com
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