Pierre said:
RedFox said:
That's a lovely bit of engineering!
I'm glad to hear it's working too.
I'll be trying out some NIR spotlights I think.
Laura said:
I used for the third time today only this time, I did 15 minutes on my stomach and 15 on my back. My theory is that there's an energy drop due to the distance (even though it is small) of the top panel from the body. So, I want max penetration by being directly on those puppies.
Someone mentioned modifying a FIR blanlet (which wouldn't work) - but I did wonder if you could build a NIR blanket given the LED strips are flexible?
The lifespan of the device would probably be reduced due to flexing, and despite the low voltage safety would need to be considered (over heating of LED's? potential short circuits/electrocution? earthing? internal condensation?).
It would be quicker to build than a table though, and I did find a tutorial for building a flexible LED lighting panel that could be used as a base to make a NIR blanket.
I think a clear flexible sheet over the LED's would be best so it could be wipeable for hygiene too.
So fwiw:
I think it's a good idea. I would not worry about heat: our bed barely heats up even after a 15 mn session. Most of the energy consumed by the LEDs is restituted as IR radiation that are not captured by the plexiglass. If efficiency is 80% and a panel consumes 100W, you end up with 20W in resistance heat for a total surface of roughly 1.2 square meter (13 sq ft) that is 1.7 milliwatts per square centimeters.
Since we are dealing with electricity here, the safer method is probably a hard construction that doesn't run that high of a the risk for someone getting electro shocked. The hard construction that was done above, with the infra woodbed is much safer in that regard. The idea of a flexible construction above, nonetheless sounds quite interesting and would probably be a lot cheaper to construct. If you want to lay down on such a flexible panel you really have to be very careful though, to build it as safely as possible. Not only the flexibility could be a risk here, but also the weight of laying down on such a construction. While the heat is no problem, as Pierre explained, getting an electro shock is. So unless one is very sure of what one is doing and how to insulate electric stuff, I would be rather cautious with this flexible idea. Since the light has to hit the body as directly as possible and near as possible, it means above the LED lights, at most, a thin translucent flexible sheet needs to be spread, that is both as imperishable as possible as well as insulating.
I think it should be possible to build something like that rather safely, but only with a lot of care and using the right materials. How long the lifetime of such a device would be, is another question in itself. My guess is not that long. The first priority in such a device is to reduce the risk of getting electro zapped, which is rather hard (if not impossible) for the use that it is proposed, of laying directly down on it with your weight.
But there is another solution, that should solve most of those problems above, you build it not as something where you lay down with your weight. You build it just as your light source, and not something to lay down with your weight, so then you don't even need a translucent flexible sheet above the LEDs (more light for the body). Then you build a translucent "mattress" where you can lay down and under which you put that flexible LED panel. That "mattress" could be build in a number of ways. The Flexi-panel should be as close to the body as possible in the end and the mattress between the body and the flexi-panel as translucent and stable as possible. A Plexiglas wood construction, could do the job. For the construction above the body, a plexiglas alone should be enough to separate the body from the flexi panel.
So in the end you would need;
- two flexi infra-panels.
- 1 translucent and stable "mattress" construction (for one flexi infra-panel under the body).
- 1 simple translucent construction that has not to be stable out of plexiglas (for the second flexi infra-panel above the body).
Or just one big flexi infra-panel that is rolled around the whole Construction (body) like a cocoon (more light power, also on the sides!):
- One long/big flexi infra-panel.
- 1 translucent and stable "mattress" construction (for the flexi infra-panel under the body).
- 1 simple translucent construction that has not to be stable out of plexiglas (for the flexi infra-panel above the body).
Conclusion:
If you use a flexi panel like that, you have almost the same amount of construction work (not that much as with the fixed construction though) and the only benefit is that you can put away the flexi panel (which can also be a minus compared to the fixed construction, because the panel will not hold that long, because it is flexible and you bend it everytime).
So thinking it through, you might as well just build the fixed and stable thing, mentioned above. Not much difference in the end. If you want to transport the light panel, the flexi panel is certainly a slight plus. But at the new place you still have to set up the construction around the flexi panel again.
Genius! Seriously! I don't believe there exist an object you guys cannot build. 
