Samsung backs an artificial smart window that mimics natural sunlight

Samsung’s in-house creative incubator C-Lab has revealed its latest batch of company-backed startups, and one is particularly pertinent at this time when we’re all stuck indoors: an artificial window that mimics the appearance — and benefits — of natural light.

As reported on The Verge, the SunnyFive (originally named Sunnyside) window produces a full spectrum of natural light, with the angle of the projected light changing throughout the day to create authentic sunrise, dawn, dusk and sunset scenarios. As Samsung says, the device will “help users synthesize vitamin D while they are indoors or in low-lit places without having to worry about skin aging or sunburn.” There’s not much additional info on the SunnyFive yet — no word on availability or pricing, for example — but Samsung does say that it’ll be compatible with its smart home system, SmartThings.

While the device is essentially a SAD-lamp, helping those that struggle with a lack of natural light, the technology that mimics phases of the day and tracks the sun in your location certainly sets it apart from other offerings on the market. That, and the fact that it’s designed to look like an actual window, rather than a desktop lamp or similar. C-Labs has been responsible for a lot of interesting projects since its inception back 2012, back few have seen massive breakthrough success. As people around the world increasingly look to technology to enable mental and physical wellness, the SunnyFive could certainly buck that trend.