By Andrew Liszewski
LED-based lightbulbs are superior to incandescent and even CFL bulbs when it comes to energy efficiency and overall eco-friendliness, but they’re not a perfect alternative, at least not yet. In order to produce the equivalent amount of light as other bulbs, they use a cluster of small LEDs to boost the overall luminosity. But apparently those clusters create multiple shadows, and a projected silhouette (when the bulbs are shining on a wall for example) that’s not as aesthetically pleasing as incandescents or CFLs. Not exactly a huge issue plaguing most consumers given LED bulbs are still considerably more expensive than the alternatives, but apparently enough of one for Panasonic to dedicate some R&D dollars to improving their design.
What they came up with is a new LED bulb that features a single core resulting in cleaner shadows and more aesthetically pleasing silhouettes. Something I’m sure most consumers will demand one day. As far as I can tell they still use a multiple LED technique on the inside, they’re just being brought together in a new way that improves their overall performance. Like most LED bulbs the One-Core uses about 50% less power than a CFL, but apparently they also use about 15% less power than a traditional LED bulb, so the improvements are win-win all around. They’ll be available starting April 21 in two versions, with more options including different color temperatures and dispersion types coming later on.
[ DigInfo TV – EVERLEDS One-Core LED downlight with clean shadows ]
