How Blue LEDs Changed the World

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Published 2019-04-26

Not only are small, energy efficient LEDs used in almost every piece of modern electronics, they have the greatest potential impact on energy savings globally. But LEDs didn't have much use until the '90s, when Japanese scientists discovered the missing link needed to complete the color spectrum: The blue LED.

Video by Robin Fall

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All Comments (21)

@BakrAli10 3 months ago

Watching Veritasium's recent video gave me a new appreciation for the blue LED's invention, even though I had seen this video earlier.
@BLUEGENE13 5 years ago

i hate it when they show cooling towers as if they are pollution, THAT'S STEAMM!!!!
@dasboot5903 5 years ago

My full respect, to this Japanese scientist, who spent a lot of his life, to develop and produce BLUE LED !!!! Amen.
@CE0626 5 years ago

1:54 “They don’t get hot.” —— It should be they don’t get as hot.
@deem3365 5 years ago

i think pollution is the last thing on people's mind if they are burning wood for light
@smitajky 5 years ago

50 years ago I replaced all my lights with fluorescent ones. It saved 80% on the lighting costs and it improved the lighting simultaneously. A few years ago I replaced most of those with LED devices of different types. This halved the lighting costs again. The BIGGEST saving is that they don't object to being switched on and off so that many more rooms are left without light unless it is actually needed. Then there is the power saving on the TV and computer screens. A wonderful improvement to the quality of life and an improvement in efficiency simultaneously.
@michaelmelling9333 5 years ago

Fascinating. I'm glad he got the Nobel Prize for his wonderful contribution.
@spokev 5 years ago

Edison did not "invent" the light bulb. He perfected it and the vacuum pump necessary to remove the air from them.
@johnfordice5763 5 years ago

Why do these sorts of videos always include nuclear cooling towers in the montage of high greenhouse emission activities?? Nuclear is FAR better for the environment than coal and nat gas.
@JamesSmith-dn8lb 5 years ago

"when Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb" Ah. So this is a video of fiction.
@anshulmishra5521 5 years ago

Wow! Kudos to all the Japanese scientists who made LEDs so much more practical and usable.
@GoingtoHecq 5 years ago

The fact that you credit edison with the lightbulb already speaks to the quality of your research and information.
@TheAnalogKid2 5 years ago

"all the best stuff is made in Japan." - marty mcfly
@zejalt8608 5 years ago

That technology really came out of the blue. Those guys led the research quite well. Japan has some bright minds indeed.
@fjw-AT5145 3 months ago

"Incandescent lights don't last long". Biggest understatement of the day. I don't miss my weekly routine of goung around the house changing light bulbs. And it was also dangerous as those bulbs were super fragile. LED lights are a win win technology. Best thing since sliced bread. Thank you Japanese scientist Nakamura.
@mrt1r 5 years ago

"...and with global warming due to Human activity creating catastrophic effects on the planet..." Shows nuclear power plant which produces steam 🤦‍♂️
@saadman920 4 years ago

"LEDs dont get hot like incandescent light." 100W LED Chip: Hold my heatsink.
@r3dp1ll 5 years ago

also Edison didn't invent the lightbulb. His team improved on it.
@galfisk 5 years ago

Should've included a comment as to how having a blue LED enables full spectrum lighting. For those curious: blue light is used to stimulate a yellow phosphor, and the combined light can be tuned to any color temperature of white.
@esheel826 5 years ago

When Edison stole the light bulb