Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
h a l f b a k e r y
Oh yeah? Well, eureka too.

idea: add, search, annotate, link, view, overview, recent, by name, random

meta: news, help, about, links, report a problem

account: browse anonymously, or get an account and write.

user:
pass:
register,


                         

Firefly attractor

 Blinking LEDs fill your backyard with fireflies
  (+9, -2)
(+9, -2) 		  [vote for,
against]

This idea seems so simple, but I can’t find any evidence of it being baked. A device would use one or several high-output LEDs in the 510 to 670 nanometers range. A very simple microcontroller or analog circuit would blink the LEDs in the appropriate pattern, with perhaps some fine-tuning available in the field (to match the characteristics of the local species). It would use solar powered rechargeable batteries just like the ubiquitous lawn lights you see everywhere.

A more elaborate model may have sensitive light sensors to detect and synchronize with the flashing of the fireflies in its vicinity.

—ServoMan314, Jun 30 2008

A more elaborate model: Firefly_20Call
[Amos Kito, Jul 01 2008]

Digital fireflies. http://www.instruct...id/S5Q5D0JF05JJP51/
Plenty more - google "Atmel firefl[y|ies]" [AbsintheWithoutLeave, Jul 02 2008]

Please log in.
If you're not logged in, you can see what this page looks like, but you will not be able to add anything.
Short name, e.g., Bob's Coffee
Destination URL. E.g., https://www.coffee.com/
Description (displayed with the short name and URL.)






       U got me - big Boy!
—po, Jun 30 2008
   

       Sounds good to me. Would it work?
—MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 30 2008
   

       I tried it, but the neighbor's robotic bats kept taking out my LED network.
—napoleonbag, Jul 01 2008
   

       Oh my God, I thought you were trying to attract them so you could put them in an empty glass bottle with a peice of tissue paper, and a twig, and then stare at them for hours, and hours till they died. But you wouldn't do that, now would you?
—blissmiss, Jul 01 2008
   

       I just cannot reduce this to anything other than a frog stuck to an LED, a la imbecile to a frozen lampost.   

       On another tack, we have often caught frogs with simple (red) laser pens. Of course this will work! Given that LED's have a wide range of light frequency, and strobe frequency.
—4whom, Jul 01 2008
   

       Won't this only attract female (non-lighting) fireflies? This isn't my field, but I thought the light show was a mating ritual, so though I love the idea of attracting lighting fireflies, I think it's a little mean if all it is doing is attracking females to the world's best robo-firefly. Though maybe it will work like ladies night at a bar and once the females are there the males will come?
—MisterQED, Jul 02 2008
   

       i stand corrected, this was already baked by AmosKito.
—ServoMan314, Jul 02 2008
   

       The part about rechargeable batteries is great! And the color idea's interesting -- it should be a pleasant light that you don't mind sitting next to. Maybe it would resemble little fireflies like the ones in blissmiss's kill jar.
—Amos Kito, Jul 02 2008
   

       // The part about rechargeable batteries is great //   

       And what's more, attract enough fireflies and their light will put power back into the photovolatics, making the system neatly self-sustaining ...... [+]
—8th of 7, Jul 02 2008
   

       Could we bake this into a firefly power station?   

       "At night, the glow could be seen for miles..."
—normzone, Jul 02 2008
   


 

back: main index
business  computer  culture  fashion  food  halfbakery  home  other  product  public  science  sport  vehicle