Showing posts with label Division 8 Doors & Windows. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Division 8 Doors & Windows. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Solar Bottle Lamps: Water + Bleach = 10,000 Liters of Light


 Who says you can’t bottle (and distribute) genius? Developed in Brazil to address under-illuminated slums, this simple design idea has been adopted by MIT students and expanded to other developing areas where many low-income homes lack access to either daylight or 
electricity.




The physics of the concept are straightforward: the bottles are placed in roofs – half outside, half inside – and their lower portions refract light like 60-Watt light bulb but without the need for a power source. A few drops of bleach serve to keep the water clear, clean and germ-free for years to come.




We take for granted our electric lights, windows and skylights to access the sun’s glow, but for those living in close-together shacks with corrugated-metal roofs, a stray ray is welcome, and something that can spread light to the darkest interior corners can be a dream come true.

In total, one of these do-it-yourself lights takes maybe an hour to install, cutting an appropriate hole, inserting a bleached-water-filled bottle, and resealing around the resulting gap. Even where clean water is rare, a little can generally be spared for a half-decade of lighting.

Magic Glass

Watch this video first, it would inspire you on various ways you can use the "Magic Glass" (or Smart Glass).


Sandwiched between two outer layers of conventional glazing sits a liquid crystal polymer membrane that can be activated by remote control or turned on (opaque) and off (see through) via conventional light switches. 



Such shifts in opacity mean the same surface can serve as a window, partition, privacy screen or projection surface. Prefabricated with the synthetic core in place, units can be safely brought to and installed on residential or commercial building sites with ease.