3M actually worked with designer Todd Bracher to develop what it's calling its 'Virtual LED' technology which can illuminate a series of lighting fixtures with just a single LED bulb. The reflectors are not only covered with a special 3M film that reflects over 98 percent of light, they're also engineered to redirect and bounce that light from one reflector to the next. So it looks like a series of them are glowing, when really only one is hiding the actual light source.
Of course, a single LED can only produce so much light, so it's not like the system could be used to illuminate a room bright enough to perform delicate surgery in. But even using just a handful of LEDs and a wall covered in these reflectors would result in a surprising amount of light with minimal energy consumption. [3M via designboom]
