Philips Bio-light concept (photos)

As part of its Microbial Home Project, Dutch electronics company Philips designed a Bio-light concept that uses bioluminescent bacteria to produce light.

The system uses bioluminescent bacteria that feed on methane and composted material to produce a soft green light. The bacteria is housed in a wall of hand-blown glass cells and connected to a food source at the base through thin silicon tubes.

The bacteria's food source would come in the form of methane gas converted from bathroom waste solids and vegetable trimmings using Philips' bio-digester kitchen island.

The light produced by the bacteria isn't particularly bright, so it would be used more as an ambient light source or as a way to power nighttime road markings, signs in low-light environments, and so forth.

Philips has designed an entire Microbial Home that includes not only the Bio-light and bio-digester, but an urban beehive and system for breaking down plastic waste.