Here is my idea for an LED plush toy!
My plush toy will cater to the public’s current infatuation with LEDs. Though it will take an ironic LED shape, I have a specific goal in mind for its use.
With more and more LED products being introduced, a serious threat is growing as well. Most computer, phone, and now wearable screens have LED backlights which shine high intensity light into our eyes all day long. This has many potential risks including decreased human performance, sleep issues, myopia onset in children and other physiological issues.
Because white LED light is produced by using a blue LED and covering it with some form of phosphor coating, there is still a large blue spike in the visible light spectrum. This spike, which we don’t naturally see during night conditions, can suppress our melatonin levels and in turn affect our circadian rhythms.
Light can also be used at specific wavelengths for therapeutic applications. For example, to combat seasonal affective disorder when going outside is sometimes difficult, LEDs have been used to allow exposure to blue light at solar noon.
My concept would be to place two separate circuits within the plush toy: one blue and one red/amber. The blue LED circuit can be switched on during the day as SAD treatment during winter and the red/amber circuit can be used during the evening before bed. The legs of the LEDs will each have a switch with the two circuits running to them.
I plan on using 470nm wavelength LEDs for blue and around 650mm for the red LEDs.
Bonus: If you are interested in lowering your exposure to the blue spike of light from your computer monitor while you work at night, check out the plugin flux: https://justgetflux.com
For more research on light health and specifically LED issues, check out the following resources:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3499892/
http://www.sunnexbiotech.com/therapist/blue%20light%20damage.html
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/01/19/sleep-light-exposure.aspx
https://justgetflux.com/research.html