Just when we thought cold cathode and that new lighting system by Philips called Hue are smart already, an even better one comes along.  (If you’ve been thinking of buying those smart bulbs, as a Christmas gift perhaps, kindly postpone for the meanwhile.)

It’s called FIPEL lighting, and researchers at Wake Forest University in North Carolina claim the new lighting technology is better than CFLs and OLEDs so popular among the green movement.  And with FIPEL lighting around the corner, fluorescent lamps, like incandescent bulbs, just might be phased out as well.

Field-induced Polymer Electroluminescent (or FIPEL lighting) works by passing an electric current through layers upon layers of light-emitting polymer infused with nanotechnology.  What results is a soft, white glow very much like what we get from natural daylight.

Currently, fluorescent lamps give off a slight tinge of yellow, while LEDs for all their green benefits have that bluish tint instead.  There’s none of that with FIPEL lighting.  The light emitted is best suited for our eyes—which means no putting up with fluorescent light-induced headaches and eye strain anymore.

FIPEL Lighting Vs. CFLs
The technology for FIPEL has been around for over a decade, but it’s only now that researchers at Wake Forest University headed by Dr. David Carroll have come up with a way to make the new lighting cheap and viable for commercial purposes.

Says Dr. Carroll, « What we’ve found is a way of creating light rather than heat. »

The resulting design is much simpler than CFLs.  FIPEL lighting requires no glass—shatterproof plastic is used, which is good.  It’s flicker-free and doesn’t produce that signature buzz or hum.

Also, no toxic mercury is involved—a long standing issue with the supposedly eco-friendly CFLs.  Combine that fact with FIPEL’s robust 20,000 hours to 50,000 hours lifespan (depends on brightness setting), and FIPEL stands to be the winner.

FIPEL Lighting Vs. OLEDs
FIPEL outrivals OLED lighting as well.  OLEDs have been pegged to replace traditional CFLs which are criticized for their problem of toxic disposal.  OLED as a lighting system is efficient already: it’s brighter than CFLs, malleable and customizable into whatever form factor required by the room, and can be incorporated into plastics.  FIPEL lighting is all that too, but with a greater lifespan than OLED’s usual 14,000 hours.

FIPEL Advantages
Brighter
Longer lifespan
Flicker-free
Plastic-based, hence shatterproof
No annoying hum/buzz
Doesn’t use poisonous mercury, hence safe disposal at the end of life cycle
Can be molded into various shapes
Better fault tolerance compared to OLED

Of course, the death of fluorescent lamps means no more establishing shots in movies showing a room with a flickering light with matching incessant, electronic buzz from the overhead lamp.  That has always been a good way to set the mood in a scene, but once FIPEL lighting becomes the standard, the signature buzz will be a thing of the past.  (We’d love to see a few fluorescent lamps stick around though, if only for cinematic purposes.)

For now, expect FIPEL lighting to hit the store shelves next year.  If the team at WFU can also incorporate smart technology into their breakthrough lighting system—just like Philips HUE’s controllability via smartphones and tablets—then all the better.