Lights are no longer just for lighting.

With the development of LED lamp technology, the lowly light bulb is doing more than turning on and off. A lamp can be the centerpiece of an environment meant to improve health, moods and even food.

LEDs can create light in multiple colors, generate less heat and use a fraction of the energy of older types of bulbs. And LEDs can be controlled remotely from a PC or smartphone app, as programmable as a television.

“There’s a tremendous potential for LED lighting to go beyond illumination,” said John Strainic, General Electric’s general manager for consumer lighting. “We’re asking people to think about lighting as more than just an impulse purchase.”

Because of the LED manufacturing process, the light that the technology creates is weighted toward the blue end of the spectrum. That is true whether the LED is used in a light bulb, a tablet or a television display.