Garden mirror tracks the sun to provide light where it's most needed
Property & Construction
The Wikoda Sunflower is the first domestic heliostat that helps owners reflect light in their garden towards the spots that need it most.
The benefits of increased light in an environment are multiple, from boosting mood to helping plantlife grow more efficiently. We recently covered a window coating designed to let more light in and now green product manufacturer Wikoda has created The Sunflower, the first domestic heliostat that helps owners reflect light in their garden towards the spots that need it most.
The device is an arrangement of six mirrors placed onto motors that enable them to move throughout the day. Sensors track the sun as it moves across the sky, adjusting the position of the mirrors to ensure that light is reflected consistently towards the same place. Users are only required to point the Sunflower’s mirrors in the direction they want and the device adjusts automatically. The extra light could be pointed towards a window to light up a room, towards plants to give them extra light or towards solar panels to increase energy yields. The heliostat houses its own small solar panels, meaning that is also powered by the sun. The video below shows the Sunflower in action:
At a cost of USD 399 per device, the Sunflower doesn’t come cheap, but the company suggest that it offers the equivalent of USD 2 of electricity every day, suggesting a rapid return on investment. Are there any other ways property owners could take advantage of the natural resources surrounding their home?
4th October 2012
Email: contact@wikoda.com
Website: www.wikoda.com