Light bulbs are horribly inefficient at converting energy to light (touch one sometime, if you need a reminder.) They also force us into giving lights a very specific role in our homes. Light either comes from a lamp or a ceiling fixture. I know it doesn't seem all that annoying, since we've never lived any other way, but it's rather unfortunate that, in the day of iPods and 2mm thick flash drives, we still rely largely on bulky bulbs to light our homes.

So a team of scientists just developed a product that may solve these problems: The Organic LED. Two layers of phosphorescent diodes and one layer of fluorescent diodes releases white light much more efficiently than tungsten bulbs. These diode layers are only 10 nanometers thick and, when unpowered, are completely transparent.

We've just opened the door to lights that live inside our windows. Why have light fixtures at all anymore? As light stops coming through the windows (y'know, because of that whole sunset thing) the windows will just start producing their own light. Of course, only in rooms where you're currently spending time. I can't wait.

Of course, I'll have to wait, as Organic LEDs are currently very expensive and have never been mass produced. But it's good to hear that this century-old technology might finally meet its superior.

Via SciAm