A German graduate student has designed and developed a new version of LED lamp that blows up like a balloon tube.
The concept lamp, called BLOW, works by blowing air into a valve at one end of a polyethylene (PE) tube, which gets sealed automatically when the air pressure inside reaches the optimum level. The balloon then gets lit up and the light from the LED stripe reflects off the aluminium coating inside the tube.
Theo Möller came up with the design while studying at the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design in Halle, Germany. Möller unveiled the product at the Milan 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," Möller said. "Polyethylene barrier film with aluminium coating made the lamp staple and airtight," Dezeen reports.
"The flexible LED stripe fits into a thin tunnel on the translucent bottom foil of the lamp," said Möller. "That means that you can separate the components and do not have the trouble with safety certificates."
The tubes were created from aluminium-coated polyethylene sheets that were fused together using pulse welding.
The LED lighting can be inflated up to 33ft (10 metres) long and be easily folded and stored. It can be deflated by injecting a straw into the valve.
The floatable tubes can be used both as floor and table lamps, by fixing them vertically or horizontally to powder-coated metal stands using hidden magnets inside the tubes. The long thin balloons can also be suspended from the ceiling using nylon threads that appear to float in mid air. The inflated BLOW light can also be used as a wall light option by stitching a series of balloons together.
So far, Möller has created tubes in various lengths including four meters that weighs just 1.3lbs (600 grams) each. Currently at prototype stage, the graduate designer hopes to manufacture a family of inflatable products at low cost.
