There is no question that we’re living in a much more comfortable environment as our ancestors once did thousands of years ago. Yet, our technological evolution has happened much faster than natural evolution would.
Our eyes have special light sensors that help the body regulate hormones which dictate when the body should be prepared for action, or when it should rest and repair. Modern living interferes with this rhythm with artificial lights and indoor environments. Ario is a lamp that is designed from the ground up to help people get back to their natural rhythm.
The idea behind Ario is the following: humans are regulated by the sun and there are two hormones that the light cycle affects: Cortisol and Melatonin. Because our modern environment is filled with artificial lights, and that the increasing use of mobile computing makes it even more pervasive, both hormones can be produced at the wrong time, making it difficult for us to rest and recuperate properly.
Ario is designed to mimic the natural angle and color of the sun, depending on the time of day. While the color and intensity seem obvious, most people don’t know that the angle at which we receive light materials. Strong light (especially in the blue spectrum) coming from upwards will encourage the production of cortisol, which is great during daytime, but undesirable later in the evening. Here’s the company’s pitch:
Because Ario is a smart lamp, it can connect over WiFi to set itself up with your proper Geo-location to match the natural light cycle in your area. It can also be remotely controlled if you want to use it for home security reasons, but once setup, it can go without a connection for a while.
"THE BEST PART: IT WORKS LIKE A REGULAR LAMP"The best part is that it works like a regular lamp. You can turn it on and off with a simple switch – this is a weak point for many “smart lamps/bulbs” which require the use of a smartphone (I’m looking at you Philips).
Ario can wake you up with a gentle light in the morning. I can also fade away at night. Although you can program it, you don’t need to. Ario can learn from your daily usage pattern, just like a Nest thermostat would. In time, it will adapt to its user.
Ario is powerful enough (2400 Lumens) to simulate bright white daylight if you work in a dark or enclosed environment. At night, it will progressively go to an orange-ish tone which is closer to a sunset. Since it uses LED lights, it consumes a maximum of 30W at full power, and much less when the light is dim. I noticed that the lamp doesn’t emit a strong glare, which is a very nice touch.
"THIS COULD BE THE FIRST REAL CONSUMER HEALTH-LAMP"I haven’t played long enough with it to know if the science works, but the idea is very cool and there’s no question that artificial lights do mess up with our rhythm. It’s been proven and documented. This could be the first real consumer “health-lamp”.
The build quality of the lamp is high, and it should fit within most home styles since it has a rather neutral look and color. Now the issue is to balance your desire to put one in every room you use, and your budget… At $199 it’s not cheap, but I haven’t seen anything like it on the market. The project was shown for the first time a couple of months ago, but its crowdfunding efforts have just started.
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