solar powered cockroach

solar powered cockroach

Light bulbs are everywhere, from under the pavement on your high street to the tiny lights in you LED televisions, you would be hard pressed to find anything which has not been embossed with an encrustment of shiny twinkling bulbs. You don't have to wait for Christmas to marvel at the power of specialised light bulbs either. Many industries have utilised the power of these little gems to the extent that bulbs are now created especially for a particular job in a particular situation. Here are some of the most obscure:

Dentist Lamps

Did you know that the lamp your dentist uses is super special? A typical lamp would be the XBOR181W/45C, otherwise known as a Xenon Short Arc Reflector Lamp. These lamps slot into the big alien arm units that loom over your open mouth as you say 'Ahh'. These lamps have the benefit of being tailored for maximum accuracy (so they can get the light right behind your gums) and also of a frequency that gives the best view of your mouth without blinding you or your dentist.

Fishermen Lights

Working on the high seas is one of the hardest jobs in the world. The treacherous waves and tides and winds which batter our trusty fishermen day in and day out would be lost with a good reliable set of lights, especially as they often work through the night. Lights such as the S84224005RED need to be extremely reliable and be able to take a physical battering and be waterproof as well of course. This sort of bulb is not only used to help fishermen on deck see if they've caught a cod or a mermaid, they also act as a beacon to let other ships know they are there. These lights come in all different colours and are usually found strung around the deck and from the front to the back of the ship.

Medical Bulb

If you have never heard of medical lamps such as those used in endoscopes you may be surprised to hear that bulbs such as the Perkin Elmer Pe300BF are used for examining inside your body. An endoscope is used to insert into your body through an orifice to explore what's going on inside. The bulb in this situation stays outside the body and shines down a specialist tube which is then swallowed by a patient or inserted (!) by a doctor. The light shines down the tube to allow a camera to operate inside your body. Doctors can also use this for keyhole surgery. There are a variety of specialist lamps used in medicine.

There are of course a vast array of light and bulb manufacturers, and by providing specialist lighting they can make a great deal of profit in a niche.

Sam Qam is a specialist lamps designer who loves everything bright and electrical. He has worked using a massive range of bulbs including the 60W bayonet a variety of medical lamps.

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