Comments on: Roof orbs provide free lighting

By: Squidpuppy

Squidpuppy — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 03:21:45 +0000

Actually, this is pretty old stuff, from more than a decade back. It’s called “HIMAWARI” or Sunflower. First exhibited at Expo ’85.

more here: http://www.himawari-net.co.jp/e_page-index01.html

By: Ajapa

Ajapa — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 09:32:21 +0000

When I am a kid, I often dreamt of an underground garden with sunlight taken via optical fibre cables.

By: 7-10split

7-10split — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 06:45:03 +0000

Actually this pathetic clip didn’t really shed any light on the orbs.
They would actually provide very bright light, the orbs would have a lens which focuses and intensifies the sunlight and the light is then transfered by fibre optic cables in the pseudo lighting fixtures in the ceiling

This is an advanced form of age old sunlights, which are only useful is single storey houses or the top floor of multi stories and must be positioned precisely above the area you want to work and are conduits for heat to escape in winter.
With fibre optics like this you can put the exit point of the light anywhere at all without loss of light, just run the cable.
Even the darkest areas at the center of the house would be brightly lit.

These would compliment an array of solar panels and as you can see in the picture they sit only on the ridge of the house, not taking up too much valuable roof flanking space that would be occupied by solar panels.
My guess is they would be more efficient on low lighting conditions than solar panels.

Good idea, not exactly beautiful, but function over form in this case.

By: sublight

sublight — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 00:46:24 +0000

It seems like a lot of material to stick on your roof for a relatively small benefit. Solar panels would probably do a lot more fro them.

Maybe they got them free as a promotion deal from whoever makes them.

By: ini

ini — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 14:09:55 +0000

whoa.
Those are the Orbs of Power from the ancient legends!
I need the ring to rule them all! O_O

By: helical

helical — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 12:12:59 +0000

If a house was built in a crowded area right up to property lines and it was the same for a house on the other side of that line as well, it’s plausible that the sun doesn’t shine much through the windows. If sunlight could only make it through the thin slivers between walls for 10 minutes a day, I might appreciate something like this to make the rooms brighter.
And a sunroof seems somewhat incompatible with the construction of older houses with their heavy shingles.

By: asdafdfasfasffda

asdafdfasfasffda — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 11:22:33 +0000

How about, y’know, SOME WINDOWS!

By: Rob A

Rob A — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:56:21 +0000

Possibly the most confusing Nani Kore I’ve ever seen. Was there no adult to answer the guy’s questions? lol!

By: James

James — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:12:39 +0000

Is this not a stupid idea?

That’s probably why this kind of thing exists on just one house in Tokyo, and is so strange that it gets featured on a weird stuff TV show.

Also, what’s with the random clip of cute Halloween kids?

They live in the house.

By: Sandy

Sandy — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:41:17 +0000

Is this not a stupid idea? Surely free lighting would only be useful during night!

Also, what’s with the random clip of cute Halloween kids?