The reign of energy-efficient coil light bulbs is effectively over, and popular LED (light-emitting diode) lights may be replaced much sooner than anticipated. “OLED (organic light-emitting diode) lighting replaces the small, bright dots of LEDs with sheets of light that aren’t so piercingly bright,” CNET explains. “That means they can illuminate subjects directly without reflectors, diffusers, and other apparatus needed to spread light and protect eyes from glare.”
Products using OLED lighting are already in the works. Car manufacturers, specifically Jaguar Land Rover, will release new models with OLED displays. Similarly, Apple’s iWatch, “poised to hit the consumer space in 2014,” will consist of a “flexible plastic OLED screen,” according to +Plastic Electronics.
Researchers believe that with some cost reductions, however, OLED lighting could easily become the norm in residential and commercial spaces. Scientists are crafting OLED “table lamps, floor lamps, chandeliers” with plans to introduce the fixtures into “office buildings, hospitality areas of hotels, bars, lounges, health care facilities,” and homes, CNET continues. The lighting fixtures would be incredibly cost-effective. Current models last approximately two years. Engineers add that, with some work, it is not out of the question for OLED panels to last a lifetime. All panels currently in the works go through regular inspection protocols.