Active Robotic Skylight Pumps Natural Light Into Darkened Interior Spaces
In an ideal world, we'd use natural light to brighten every darkened nook that needs illumination. But in reality, skylights and windows can let only so much light into a structure, and the amount of light varies based on the time of day. The Sundolier robotic skylight from Boulder-based Sunflower aims to change all this by actively "pumping" natural light into interior spaces, illuminating areas of up to 2,500 square feet with a single unit. The Sundolier employs a large dual-axis tracking mount with a couple of reflectors that gather light into a two-foot tube, which in turn feeds into a "sun chandelier" that lights up the room below. The rig tracks the sun as its position changes in the sky, so regardless of the time of day, the light intensity inside the building stays relatively stable. Once the sunlight is captured, it can be distributed in several different ways, so...