Those who study sleep believe that our encounters with light affect the way our body works. For example, too much exposure to artificial light can affect the release of melatonin, which helps us through our nightly sleep cycles. As such, one young design student dreamed up the Luminarium, a lamp which mimics the movement of the sun to help recalibrate our biological clocks.


The Luminarium runs on 12 hour cycles, recreating the subtle light and shadow shifts the sun performs as it moves across the sky. Light shifts from warm in the morning (~3000K) to cool in the afternoon (~6000K) and back to warm as it sets roughly 12 hours after first "rising."

The idea, according to creator Stefano Pertegato, is that the ever changing nature of the light can benefit us in ways static artificial light can't.


At the same time, natural daylight provides resetting cues: constant, extended stimuli in the background like the slow play of light and shadows during the day. These resetting cues bring restorative benefits from directed attention fatigue, reducing cognitive stress and improving concentration performances.

The lamp uses three fluorescent spotlights directed up onto the ceiling to establish a mood, while a dynamic LED spotlight streaks across the room it's in. Meanwhile the motor and gears responsible for the movement of the lamp are left exposed, presenting a piece that's some sort of futuristic industrial vision. [Stefano Pertegato via CoDesign]