LED’s have in the last few years become a phenomenon due to a decrease in their cost and thanks to the Graffiti Research Lab and their use of throwies. Throwies which seem to have caught peoples imagination (including one of my ex-students) while interesting seem to be really only a start to how LED’s could be used in environments and forms of responsive or active architecture. That said I remember coming accross comments on instructables.com a few months back which discussed the environmental effects, essentially throwing batteries and magnets away which really seemed to be the first time anyone really even raised this issue.

The use of LED’s will continue of course however hopefully we will see more clever, interesting and reusable uses for them such as Cell Phone Disco or Mobile Disco (image and video above) (Via Rhizome News):

Cell Phone Disco is a playful experimental installation made out of flashing cells. By multiplication of a mobile phone gadget, only slightly altered consumer product, we created a space to experience the invisible body of the mobile phone.

and the LED Architecture discussed a while back in Wired. If your interested in using LED’s or making throwies see these articles, just remember to use responsibly!