New Smart Bulbs ideal for Deaf People

LG has recently launched a new ‘smart lightbulb’ in Korea that could be very useful for Deaf and Hard of Hearing people who use smartphones. The bulb is a fairly ordinary looking bulb but as it’s an LED bulb it uses 80% less energy than traditional bulbs and at around 5 hours use per day it’ll last for more than 10 years.

The smart part of the bulb comes from its built-in WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity which allows it to connect to your phone (iPhone and Android). By using LG’s app on your phone it then means you are able to switch the light on/off from your phone and can even pulse in sync to the beat of music (Android only) to create your own mini disco. Where it gets even more interesting though is that it’s able to flash the light when you receive a phone call. This would be a great way to indicate to people that they need to check their phone if they often don’t hear it ringing.

At launch, the app doesn’t currently offer the ability to flash the bulb for a text message but this could be offered in future updates – and potentially for emails or other notifications too.

The app and bulb also offer the ability to vary the brightness depending on the time of day; so you could have it dimmer in the early mornings so that it doesn’t hurt your eyes. One step further than that you can swap out your current noisy/vibrating alarm clock for a fake sunrise in your bedroom each morning to gently wake you with light.

The bulb is launching now in Korea for 35,000 won which is around £20 at current exchange rates. It should be launch in the UK later this year.