Gizmos & Gadgets: Introducing the Bionic Chandelier

May 4, 2019 – Arborea, a London, England-based company specializes in biomimicry inventions. Among the company’s research focus is the designing of sustainable foods and food ingredients using advanced organic cultivation systems. It also has developed the BioSolar Leaf to sequester carbon dioxide (CO2) and release oxygen. The Leaf incorporates blue-green algae and phytoplankton into its structure. These are the successor forms of life that first built the Earth’s atmosphere into the one we breathe today. And now it has taken the Leaf one step further to build the Bionic Chandelier, described as a living and breathing structure designed to purify indoor air using micro-algae.

States Julian Melchiorri, seen in this YouTube video, and founder and CEO of Arborea, “When I founded Arborea my goal was to tackle climate change while addressing the critical issues related to the food system.” The company’s primary focus has been on developing cultivation technology designed to maximize the amount of plant-based food that can be grown per square meter regardless of the quality of the land. With the BioSolar Leaf planted on a single hectare of land, you can sequester 250 times the amount of CO2 when compared to the equivalent amount of forest. In addition the BioSolar Leaf produces what it calls a sustainable source of biomass from which it extracts organic food additives for plant-based food products.

The Chandelier, however, is clearly something new for the company, using its innovative BioSolar Leaf technology to create a living, breathing, functional work of art. Depicted in the image below, the Chandelier incorporates 70 Biosolar Leaves backed up by a complex hydraulic and mechanical support system to ensure the blue-green algae and phytoplankton thrive.

The Chandelier seen here is now part of the permanent collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Plans are to create more of these structured cultivation systems that can then be installed both in and on the surfaces of buildings to sequester CO2 and improve urban air quality. The Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, in London, is planning to use the technology to clean its “filthy air,” states Counsellor Stephen Cowan. He goes on to state, “Arborea’s BioSolar leaves are set to revolutionize air quality in London and across the world.” 

The Imperial College of London has served as an incubator for Arborea and hopes to incorporate the technology within its many structures as well. BioSolar Leaf panels can be applied to the rooftops and siding of buildings unlocking the technology’s breakthrough full potential.

If you are thinking about hanging your own Bionic Chandelier, your colour palette will have to complement its very green appearance.