It is imperative for a home to have as much natural lighting as possible. However, not many homes are constructed in a manner which favors them to get the maximum benefits of the sun; i.e. the sunshine during the day. As a result, these homes tend to remain dark even if it is bright and sunny outside. No more though, for an incredible invention is just about to change these homes for the better. The solution to these dark homes is in the form of Lucy, an autonomous robot that can fill a home with natural sunshine through the day.
Lucy: The Sunshine Robot
Designed by a team of engineers at the European Space Agency, Singularity and Cambridge, Lucy is the world’s first robot that can provide plenty of natural light to your home. Portable, powerful, and very cost effective, Lucy offers a permanent solution to all those dark rooms that cannot be filled with natural daylight and need to rely on other lighting solutions for the same purpose.
The smart robot that she is, Lucy is not only able to track sunlight naturally, but is also able to redirect the same to a fixed location inside the home. She needs no installation, just a sunny spot to sit on. Once pointed in the right direction, she is all set to go and can keep an otherwise dark, cold room warm and bright throughout the day.
How does Lucy Work?
Technically, Lucy is a heliostat which simply reflects the sun’s light indoors. However, Lucy combines this technical feature with several other ‘smart’ features to allow for more advanced functionality. She comes fitted in an Italian designed crystal ball cover which is weather resistant. A sensor attached to the nose of this cover tracks the sun’s movement with regards to the earth’s rotation by sending light intensity readings to an inbuilt algorithm.
The algorithm in turn, helps Lucy adjust her motorized mirror in accordance with the sun’s movements to maintain a perfect reflection angle for maximum sunlight. All you need to do is position Lucy in such a way that she points to an opening through which she can redirect sunlight into your home. Another impressive feature includes her ability to charge herself using inbuilt solar panels. This pretty much leaves you out of the picture as Lucy does all the work by herself.
Where will Lucy work her magic best?
While providing natural lighting options for homes is Lucy’s main goal, here are some other reasons why she was created.
- During winters: Seasonal depression is very common during winters when the cold weather leaves us frozen and numb for the most part of the day. Lucy can redirect sunlight into your home, providing you with the much needed warmth and Vitamin D you need during this period.
- In small city apartments: where lighting is a major issue and one cannot install solar tubes or skylights.
- Indoor gardens: where plants that grow indoors can receive their share of natural sunlight without much fuss.
Lucy provides a low maintenance, long term solution for all of these issues. Plus, she comes with a universal mount that helps you place her even in very hard to reach spots.
Worldwide applications of Lucy
In addition to providing natural sunlight for homes, Lucy can have far more benefits for myriad colonies and communities around the world. For instance, there are several areas in the world that have limited or no access to electricity. This puts them in a quandary when opting for standard lighting solutions. Lucy, on the other hand, can be of great use in these areas and can provide plenty of natural light to light up homes, offices, schools, hospitals, and public spaces.
Lucy, a smart, autonomous robot can easily redirect natural sunlight into your home. The portable robot is literally maintenance free and can work round the clock in keeping a home, office, school, hospital, etc. sunny and bright through the day.
