One of the eight global design graduates at Design Indaba 2015, Teresa van Dongen had us enthralled with her innovative way to use the natural world for a source of light.
At first struck by the firefly, Teresa, a student at Design Academy Eindhoven, began to look at the world around her for other ways nature creates light.
A particular natural phenomenon that she noticed is bioluminescence in the ocean, in which micro-organisms process oxygen whenever a wave turns and the result is the glowing blue light seen at night.
Teresa decided to use the organisms to create a new form of light, the Ambio, where the specially selected bacteria are placed in a glass tube that moves constantly, which causes the bacteria to emit light.
The Ambio combines science, biology and design to use nature as a form of energy, which is particularly inspiring for us South Africans affected by power outages.
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