Image of the Week - 30 December 2008

The "Bamboo-Light" is a prototype product designed and constructed by ITG student staff Michael Peyton while studying the transparent properties of bamboo for novel usage. Light can be seen passing through the end-grain, revealing the cellular and structural properties of the bamboo plant. In this specific prototype, a cold cathode light source was used. The result is an ambient light source, cylindrical in form, that can be configured in a multitude of colors based on the cathode selected. The project stems from the UIUC Fall 2008 course "Sustainable Portables: The experimentation, design, and construction of small objects using laminated bamboo", in which students were asked to experiment with and develop sculptural models that reflect the nature of the bamboo material.