Product news: American designer Victor Vetterlein has made an edible desk lamp.
Called Bite Me, Victor Vetterlein's lamp is made of biodegradable plastic derived from vegetable glycerin and agar, a gelatin made from sea algae.
The LED light-source is attached to a clear plastic adhesive strip, with electricity conducted to the top by laser-cut metal lines that spell out the name of the product and its ingredients.
"When the lamp is no longer useful or desired, the lighting strip is removed and the lamp may be eaten or thrown into the garden as compost," explains Vetterlein, adding that the project was inspired by the book Green Plastics - an Introduction to the New Science of Biodegradable Plastics by E.S. Stevens, a professor of chemistry at the State University of New York.
To prepare it for consumption, the lamp must be cleaned and submerged in purified water for an hour to soften up. "The consistency after soaking the lamp in water for an hour is like wet Gummy Bears," says Vetterlein.
It comes in four natural flavours: orange, cherry, blueberry and apple. "Agar is low in sodium and very low in saturated fat as well as cholesterol," he adds. "It is also a good source of vitamin E, vitamin K, pantothenic acid, zinc and copper, and a very good source of folic acid, calcium, iron, manganese, potassium and magnesium."
The lamp is sold with two electric cords, one that connects to the low voltage power converter and another that plugs into a computer.
Above: inspiration and ingredients
Vetterlein's product has the playful look of boiled sweets, but we recently reported on a task light for Wästberg that tries to give bioplastics the solidity and tactility normally associated with metal or wood.
Other lighting by Vetterlein on Dezeen includes a desk lamp resembling bent blades of grass and another made of egg boxes. See all our stories about design by Victor Vetterlein.