The project will develop a light-guide device with controlled scattering capabilities. The device is intended to eliminate glare or high-contrast lighting conditions. Its primary use is with high-efficiency fluorescent and halogen light sources. Because habitats create a total environment within which the space crew will live and work, lighting conditions can have a significant impact on the mental and psychological conditions of the inhabitants. In space, high-quality illumination will positively affect human-factor considerations. Project objectives are to make and characterize a prototype device that will best guide the source light to a mathematically determined density profile of scatterers suspended within a thin, optically transparent material. The device should permit long use while making its light intensity more even. NASA crew comfort and associated performance improvements will result from an enhanced lighting environment. The result efficient distribution of light will also impact available energy reserves by displacing in- flight and long, diurnal-cycle power requirements which otherwise, ultimately, compromise mission objectives.
Potential Commercial Applications:In the U.S., about 25 percent of total electrical output is used for lighting. By using efficient lighting, Americans could save about $20 billion a year and prevent millions of tons of additional air pollution. The high-quality, high-efficiency lighting innovation has strong potential in the existing international commercial marketplace.
