An article from Mashable presents an interesting, but possibly extremely frustrating, energy efficiency solution for task lighting: A lamp that turns off every time you blink. Click the photo for an animated gif that shows the invention in action:
From Mashable, “Instructables technology editor,Randy Sarafan devised an innovative solution to making us aware of our electricity consumption habits. With his ‘Energy Saving Light,’ Sarafan has created a wearable lamp device that operates only when your eyes are open. The light reacts to each blink – bringing light when needed and darkness when not.”
Although the actual implementation of this device is problematic, for instance if two people are in the room, or if two are using the same task light, the idea is clever and should open up some discussion about smart controls that can be implemented on a small scale.