If there is one thing every single home in America has, its a light bulb. And because light is extremely important for us to be able to see, a new company called SVET (http://www.svet.io) is about to change the way we see and use light bulbs for the better!
Aleksey Dubov, the founder of SVET light bulbs, is getting ready to introduce to the market a health-friendly bulb that will have the highest quality light output which mimics natural light… so when you wake up in the morning, the bulb will actually be able to tell and slowly help you wake up instead of just shinning in your face and hurting your eyes.
The Levity Ball sat down w ith Aleksey to find out more about this futuristic bulb that is about to become a reality…
How did you get started in the light bulb business?
In 2010 I came up with an idea of a Bluetooth-powered, remote-controlled light bulb. The project didn’t have a specific purpose at first – it was just for fun. For example, one of the bulb’s first functions was the light chaser. We started designing such light bulbs for commercial use. I was busy with other projects back then, so the prototypes weren’t ready until 2012. And now its 2016 and we are getting ready to launch.
How did the SVET light bulb came to be?
When our tech guys gave me those first prototypes and I took them home, it was quite disappointing. The light they produced didn’t feel suitable for general lighting. It was hard to concentrate with all the lights on , and I remember feeling tired after just sitting in the room doing nothing. That’s when it became clear that making a quality product will require extensive research into light and its effects on human body.
I started digging around and found a wealth of information on the topic. There’s a lot of science to how different types of light can affect our sleep quality, relieve or build up stress, increase or decrease productivity and so on. Light genuinely influences our health, and regularly getting the right light throughout the day would lead to huge improvements in our quality of life. There was no solution on the market that featured dynamic lighting with health benefits in mind. So I decided to start SVET. I began looking for experts in this field to create the truly human-centric lighting. It wasn’t long before my team joined forces with the Fraunhofer institute for the research and development of dynamic lighting scen arios for our light bulbs. The carefully balanced light behavior algorithms were then combined with a unique light bulb with specific combinations of LEDs and high-quality components, which made it possible to achieve lighting of the highest quality.
What does SVET mean / stand for?
“Svet” is a word used in several Slavic languages. Its first and main meaning is “light”. It has a second meaning which can be translated as “everything under the sun”, or simply “the world”.
What makes your light bulbs different from others?
The two major differences are the quality of light and its dynamics. SVET light bulbs have rich spectrum, and the light automatically mimics daylight dynamics during the day based on your wake-up and bed time. This means that SVET will provide you with sunlight-quality light at measured doses throughout the day, which is proven to be extremely beneficial for the nervous system, and to improve general physical and mental state. Additionally, SVET is flicker-free, which is comfortable for the eyes. And the bulb’s high CRI (90-96) means that the light will render the surroundings with minimum color distortion (unlike the standard artificial lighting). More still, SVET is unique in employing a set of built-in biological safety measures. These ensure that the lighting chosen manually will not harm your biological rhythm or your eyes in any way.
You are about to launch a big crowdfunding campaign in the coming months. Are you excited? Nervous?
Yes, my team and I are very excited about the campaign. There’s still tons of stuff to be done before the launch. It would be daunting if it wasn’t so much fun! And sure, we are nervous, but we receive a lot of great feed back from our fans via Facebook and Twitter, which helps us keep up the positive outlook!
Who was your role model growing up, and what is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
I don’t think I’ve ever had a role model. As for the best piece of advice, that would definitely be my father’s words: “Only endeavor to do the things you believe are good, don’t waste your time on things you don’t believe in”.
Do you have any advice for others looking to create their own product or start a crowdfunding campaign?
Sure. Before setting out to create something, talk to the people (your potential customers) about it. In most cases your original vision will be changed and you’ll come up with new ideas and features. And if you’re thinking about starting a crowdfunding campaign, spend a few months prepar ing. If your product is hardware, you should have your prototypes fully tested and operational, and a contract manufacturer at the ready – to work with after the campaign is over. And, of course, you should have an audience waiting for your product.
Is there anything else we can expect to hear from SVET this year?
In April we will be exhibiting at Tech in Asia Singapore. Also, we have a number of important updates to unveil during our crowdfunding campaign. So stay tuned!
If you could change one thing in the world, besides how we light our homes, what would it be?
International standards for various categories of consumer goods. The centerpiece should be health and ecology, not profit at all costs. I hope I’ll do my part in shifting the trend.
