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posted by n1 on Thursday March 05 2015, @07:19AM   Printer-friendly
from the never-need-to-sleep dept.

Navanshu Agarwal writes that Italian scientists have developed an artificial LED sunlight system that looks just like real daylight streaming through a skylight. The LED skylight uses a thin coating of nanoparticles to recreate the effect that makes the sky blue, known as Rayleigh Scattering that doesn’t just light up a room but produces the texture and feel of sunlight. Paolo Di Trapani, one of the scientists who worked on the device believes that the skylight will allow developers of the future to not just build up, but also far down below the ground- without any of the "dinginess" that currently keeps us above ground.

CoeLux hopes to treat seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. Each year, some 10 million Americans, mostly women, find themselves sinking into a heavy malaise during the wintertime. CoeLux hopes its LED bulbs, which create the illusion of infinitely tall, bright blue skies, will help trick the brains of people with SAD, ridding them of their blues.

 
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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by CRCulver on Thursday March 05 2015, @09:21AM

    by CRCulver (4390) on Thursday March 05 2015, @09:21AM (#153447) Homepage
    While this new invention might be welcome for its use of an azure color, tricking the brain with special lamps to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder isn't anything new. Many people in the Nordic countries have high-wattage lamps to compensate for the winter darkness. Spending just half an hour a day reading next to it can do wonders.
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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by brocksampson on Thursday March 05 2015, @09:57AM

    by brocksampson (1810) on Thursday March 05 2015, @09:57AM (#153455)

    That is something different. There are a range of lighting products that try to reproduce the "energizing" effects of natural sunlight (e.g., blue light triggers a wakeful state) for those of us up North. But the panels in this article actually simulate a skylight by putting a bright LED (array?) behind a thin layer that simulates the Rayleigh scattering that gives the sky a blue color. When you look up at one of these panels, your brain perceives the actual sun in the actual sky. It is more about ambiance than light therapy.

    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by richtopia on Thursday March 05 2015, @03:21PM

      by richtopia (3160) on Thursday March 05 2015, @03:21PM (#153529) Homepage Journal

      It sounds like to me there are two components of seasonal affective disorder: Light intensity (and correct spectrum) along with blue sky.

      If that is the case, could I paint the ceiling blue and reflect a normal lamp off of it?