By Susan Trulove
Gravia lamp
BLACKSBURG, Va., February 19, 2008 -- A Virginia Tech student has created a
floor lamp powered by gravity.
Clay Moulton of Springfield, Va., who received his master of science degree
in architecture (concentration in industrial design) from the College of
Architecture and Urban
Studies in 2007, created the lamp when he was an industrial design graduate
student. The light-emitting diode (
LED) lamp, named Gravia, has just won
second
place in the Greener Gadgets Design Competition as part of the Greener
Gadgets
Conference in New York
City.
Concept illustrations of Gravia depict an acrylic column a little over four
feet high. The entire column glows when activated. The electricity is
generated
by the slow fall of a mass that spins a rotor. The resulting
energy powers 10
high-output LEDs that fire into the acrylic lens, creating a diffuse
light. The
operation is silent and the housing is elegant and cord free -- completely
independent of electrical infrastructure.
The light output will be 600-800 lumens - roughly equal to a 40-watt
incandescent bulb over a period of four hours.
To "turn on" the lamp, the user moves weights from the bottom to the top of
the lamp. An hour glass-like mechanism is turned over and the weights are
placed
in the mass sled near the top of the lamp. The sled begins its gentle
glide back
down and, within a few seconds, the LEDs come on and light the lamp, Moulton
said. "It's more complicated than flipping a switch but can be an acceptable,
even enjoyable routine, like winding a beautiful clock or making good
coffee,"
he said.
Moulton estimates that Gravia's mechanisms will last more than 200 years, if
used eight hours a day, 365 days a year. "The LEDs, which are generally
considered long-life devices, become short-life components in comparison
to the
drive mechanisms," he said.
The acrylic lens will be altered by time in an attractive fashion, Moulton
said. "The LEDs produce a slightly unnatural blue-ish light. As the acrylic
ages, it becomes slightly yellowed and crazed through exposure to ultraviolet
light," he said. "The yellowing and crazing will tend to mitigate the
unnatural
blue hue of the
LED light. Thus, Gravia will produce a more natural color of
light with age."
He predicted that the acrylic will begin to yellow within 10 to 15 years when
Gravia is used in a home's interior room.
A patent is pending on the Gravia. To learn more, contact Jackie Reed of
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties Inc. (
http://www.vtip.org) at
jreed@vtip.org or call (540) 443-9217.
Learn more about the lamp and the designer's philosophy at
http://www.core77.com/competitions/greenergadgets/projects/4306/.
PHOTO INFORMATION: The Gravia LED lamp will be powered by gravity. The entire
column will glow.
Contact Susan Trulove at
strulove@vt.edu or (540) 231-5646.
© 2008 Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University
