well i don’t think you ever thought you would mean that literally right?   think again….

The Blood Lamp

red blood cells are your electricity bills bleeding you dry?

Human blood stores a lot of biological energy. Ever thought of a lamp powered by human blood? So here it is, a blood powered lamp designed by Mike Thompson. The lamp utlilizes blood as a source of energy.

The lamp contains luminol; the same chemical forensic scientists use to check for traces of blood at a crime scence. Luminol reacts with the iron in red blood cells and creates a bright blue glow.

The lamp is intended to challenge people’s preconceived notions about where our energy comes from and it forces the user to rethink how wasteful they are with energy and how precious it is.

A creepy, cleverly directed video demostration of the lamp is shown below.

Blood Lamp from miket on Vimeo.

What if power came at a cost to the individual?

The average American consumes 3383kwh of energy per year. That’s equivalent to leaving the light on in 4 rooms for a whole year. The simple flick of a switch allows us to power appliances and gadgets 24/7 without a thought to where it comes from and the cost to the environment.

For the lamp to work one breaks the top off, dissolves the tablet, and uses their own blood to power a simple light. By creating a lamp that can only be used once, the user must consider when light is needed the most, forcing them to rethink how wasteful they are with energy, and how precious it is.

PinExt are your electricity bills bleeding you dry?