sciencetech-blog

comments

From lava lamps to electric candelabras, lights come in many shapes and sizes and now one designer has created a concept lamp that can be blown up like a balloon.

The inflatable LED lighting called BLOW appears to float, can be made up to 33ft (10 metres) long and is able to be folded so it is easily stored.

The lights can be inflated by blowing into a valve at one end of a polyethylene tube, which is forced closed when the air pressure inside the tube is at the right level.

The inflatable LED lighting called BLOW (pictured) appears to float, can be made up to 33ft (10metres) long and folded up so it is easily stored

When this happens, the balloon is illuminated and light from the LED stripe reflects off the aluminium coating inside the creation.

The design was created by Theo Möller while he was studying at the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design in Halle, Germany and has just gone on show at Milan's design week.

'The flexible LED stripe fits into a thin tunnel on the translucent bottom foil of the lamp. That means that you can separate the components and do not have the trouble with safety certificates,' he told Dezeen.

The tubes are made from sheets of aluminium-coated polyethylene and are 'welded' together.

The tubes are made from sheets of aluminium-coated polyethylene and are 'welded' together using magnets and electrical current. They appear to float when attached to a simple metal stand (pictured)

A flexible LED stripe fits into a thin tunnel on the translucent bottom foil of the lamp to avoid trouble with safety certificates. The system can be used to create different shapes and sizes of lights such as a vertical strip (pictured left) and a square design (right)

He originally selected the materials from which to construct a new type of light as he envisaged it flying and was using lightweight emergency blankets as a reflector.

While they sparked the idea, the original prototypes did not keep the air inside the tubes so Mr Möller selected a different kind of foil.

'Polyethylene barrier film with aluminium coating made the lamp staple and airtight,' he said.

He has now created tubes in different lengths with some measuring four metres, which weigh just 1.3lbs (600 grams) each.

The lights can be inflated by blowing into a valve at one end of a polyethylene tube, which is forced closed when the air pressure inside the tube is at the right level

They can be attached to minimalistic metal stands using hidden magnets inside the lights or with nylon threads that can also be used to hang the lights from a ceiling, causing them to 'hover' in mid-air.

When the novelty of the inflatable lighting has worn off, the lights can be deflated by inserting a straw into the valve and can be folded up and stored in a small space.

Mr Möller plans on developing different shapes and sizes of the BLOW light as well as manufacturing his designs for a low cost.

Mr Möller plans on developing different shapes and sizes of the Blow light as well as manufacturing his designs for a low cost. Here, different parts of the lights he has made so far are shown

When the novelty of the inflatable lighting has worn off, the lights can be deflated by inserting a straw into the valve and can be folded up and stored in a small space (pictured)