Taking inspiration from nature, Bloomlight reimagines what street lighting could be: interactive, calming, breathtaking. The philosophy of the Bloomlight is to create something that moves more curiously and naturally than most technological objects and also encompasses a statement about light pollution; the light of the bloom only shines bright when it is needed, the rest of the time, it is dim and passive, giving center stage to the starlight above.
The philosophy of Bloomlight and the Vouw is that design and technology can help to bring people together, slowing down their pace and going against what is the main purpose of it today. As seen, the increase of people, mostly teenagers, using cell phones is associated with the rise of loneliness and the feeling of being left out.
With BloomLight and its technology, VOUW hopes to convert the public space into a subtle interactive experience and, at the same time, reinvent street lighting to become an artistic, relaxing, and inspiring experience.
The best way to present the Bloomlight is with an exhibition surface of 4 meter radius.
The bottom housing and pole is made of stainless steel and the housing consists of two layers to protect the motors from the heat and reduce the chances for the motors and electronics to get in touch with sand dust and water. We added two ventilators to make sure they keep cool. All electronic parts (such as print circuit boards and wires) are sealed and covered. The bottom also consists of a humidity and temperature sensor so we are always alert when the Bloomlight is getting too hot or too wet. Going up from the bottom we follow the tube that starts with a stainless steel pole that connects to a ‘cage’ that holds the LiDAR scanner, that sees where people are. The ‘cage’ is covered with extra plexiglass that protects the LiDAR. The tube extends then with a polymer exterior and glass fibre interior that is attached with various guiding elements that make sure the wires are following nicely along the Bloomlight. The wires end at the top where they are connected to the end of the tube with an aluminum piece. The bloom / head is mounted at the end of the tube and works with an opening and closing mechanism empowered by another stepper motor. It pushes out 6 aluminum bones when tilted that also hold a fabric that gives the idea the Bloomlight resembles a flower. A LED light connected below and covered with acrylic sheet to protect will brighten up in any color we pick.
