Oh the advantages of fibre optics and the relevance of it our project...

Why Use Fiber Optics For Lighting?

Using fiber for remote lighting has many advantages, some of which are more important for special types of applications than others.

Heat-Free Lighting: Since the light source is remote, the fiber transmits the light but isolates the heat from the light source from the illumination point, an important consideration for lighting delicate objects, such as in museum displays, that could be damaged by heat or intense light.

Electrical Safety: Underwater lighting such as used in swimming pools and fountains or illumination in hazardous atmospheres can be done safely with fiber optic lighting, since the fiber is nonconductive and the power for the light source can be placed in a safe location. Even many lights are low voltage.

Precise Spotlighting: Optical fiber can be combined with lenses to provide carefully focused light on extremely small spots, popular for museum exhibits and jewelry displays, or simply light a specified area precisely.

Durability: Using optical fiber for lighting makes for much more durable lighting. Optical fiber, either plastic or glass, is both strong and flexible, much more durable than fragile light bulbs.

The Look of Neon: Fiber that emits light along its length, generally called edge-emitting fiber, has the look of neon tubes for decorative lighting and signs. Fiber is easier to fabricate, and, since it is made of plastic, is less fragile. Since lighting is remote it can be placed at either or both ends of the fiber and sources can be safer since they are low voltage sources.

Vary the Color: By using colored filters with white light sources, fiber optic lighting can have many different colors and by automating the filters, vary colors in any preprogrammed sequence.

Simpler Installation: Fiber optic lighting does not require installing electrical cables to the light locator and then installing bulky light fixtures with one or more bulbs on location. Instead, a fiber is installed to the location and fixed in place, perhaps with a small focusing lens fixture, a much simpler process. Often several fibers can use a single light source, simplifying installation even more.

Easy Maintenance: Lighting in hard to access areas like high ceilings or small spaces can make changing light sources difficult. With fiber, the source can be in an easily accessible location and the fiber in any remote place. Changing the source is no longer a problem.

This information is credited to the following

http://www.thefoa.org/tech/lighting/lighting.html

I really don't know why we didnt think of using optics from the start. Thank god we taught about it eventually, its a lot easier than using LEDs and a lot safer. One thing fibre optics lighting is ususually used for is star lighting ceilings and fibre optics are just the thing for creating that kind of effect, and thats pretty much a lot like what we are going for, just replace the word stars with with worms and you have our project. Another reason we chose fibre optics is because its more economical than using LEDs. We only need a few computer screens which will be our lightsource, on the screens an ever changing flash movie with 256 colours will be playing creating several different lighting effects.

Our project is going to be within a room. The walls are going to be made of plywood which will have lots of holes drilled through them to put the optics in. The walls will be painted black so that our fibre optics will be seen at their brightest, as we need a fully dark room for the right effect.

The fibre optics are going to be bunched together in a cluster as only one strand of fibre optic is not enough to give good light and show a Glow Worm as they would be in real life. Of course this will require A LOT of optics which we are in the process of sorting out a good deal for.

Behind the walls of the optics, will be computer monitors which are going to be our light source. They are going to be placed evenly apart and then the fibre optic clusters will be attached to these. We figure we will need at least 8. This can be done using a 8 way vga splitter which means we can hook 8 screens up to one computer.

The fibre optics will be different lengths so that the fibre optics can be spaced fully across the walls. This is possible as the length of the fibre optics does not matter as when the light shines through it, it will not lose any intensity and will still travel through even if the fibre optic has a bend in it. As the fibre optics are attached to the screens, the light will transmit through the fibre optics into the room.