Invented before industrial design became an established profession, incandescent lightbulbs epitomize what would later become the field's mantra of "Form follows function." The wire filament provides the illumination, while the glass bulb is there to keep air out and prevent the filament from oxidizing.

Though incandescents are now obsolete, both consumers and designers seem to have a hard time abandoning the classic lightbulb's form factor. But Hong-Kong-based lighting designer Yat Ming is at least trying to make it more interesting with his URI bulbs. Ming's idea is to create the "bulb" out of flat pieces that interlock, creating the form radially. These flat pieces have patterns etched into them with a laser cutter.

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Illumination comes from LEDs within the base. By exploiting the fact that the edges of a piece of acrylic will illuminate when light is applied at an oblique angle, he's able to achieve some interesting visual effects:

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Ming plans to produce the bulbs through his company, NAP, and is currently running a Kickstarter to gain the funds for tooling. The relatively low target of HKD $70,000 (USD $9,025) looks certain to be met, as at press time he was a third of the way there, with nearly a month left to pledge.

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The bulbs are of course more decorative than functional, drawing just 3 watts each, equivalent to a 25-watt incandescent. He's offering them in both 110v and 220v and hopes to sell them globally, with prices starting at USD $50 a pop.