Bio-Luminescent Light: Can It Light a Room?

[bg93]

My class is working on a bio-mimicry project. Long story. Recently we've been looking at bio-luminescent light, and specifically what Philips has been exploring. Here's the article if you're curious, but it doesn't have much to do with the question:
http://www.design.philips.com/phili...probes/projects/microbial_home/bio_light.page
and
http://www.popsci.com/technology/ar...-waste-luminous-bacteria-can-light-your-house

Now here's the dilemma, we have ideas for this, but nothing has been decided on yet. We don't necessarily have to light up a house with this, but if we could, that would probably draw more eyes.

So here's the question, can we make light via this biological process at a central spot and move it through a building to a source of emission in another room while loosing little to no energy? By what means? I feel like this is more a physics question than a biology one. Can anyone help me out?

 

[mrspeedybob]

Either fiber optics or a system of ducts with mirrored inside surfaces should do the trick.

 

[bg93]

And that would still emit light through the other side to illuminate a room? That's fantastic to hear.

 

[Michael C]

I woud imagine that fiber optics would be your best bet. You'll still lose light, though. You can get an idea of how much light you would lose from http://www.fiberoptix.com/technical/transmission-loss.html. Using the calculator on the page with typical values as given in the article below, you can see, for instance, that after sending light through a fiber optic cable 100 inches long you'd end up with about half the light you started with.

 

[pmacias]

I can provide some insight into this question. First, let's define bio-luminescence. It is the production and emission of light by a living organism through a chemical reaction. This process is typically very efficient, with minimal energy loss. However, the amount of light produced is usually quite small and not enough to light up a room.

The article you provided discusses the use of bio-luminescent bacteria to light up a home. While this is an interesting concept, it is not currently feasible as the amount of light produced by these bacteria is still very low. Additionally, the bacteria require specific conditions to survive and produce light, making it difficult to use them as a reliable light source in a home.

In terms of using bio-luminescence to light up a room, there are a few challenges that need to be addressed. First, the light produced by bio-luminescent organisms is usually in the visible spectrum, but it is not very bright. To light up a room, a significant amount of light is needed, and this would require a large number of organisms. This can be difficult to achieve, especially if the organisms require specific conditions to survive.

Another challenge is the movement of the light through a building. While it is possible to channel and direct light through optical fibers, the efficiency of this process can be affected by factors such as distance and bends in the fibers. It is also important to consider the maintenance of the light source and the potential for contamination of the living organisms.

In conclusion, while bio-luminescence is a fascinating natural phenomenon, it is not currently a practical solution for lighting up a room. However, it can serve as an inspiration for alternative and sustainable lighting solutions, and further research and advancements in this area may lead to more feasible applications in the future.