Dial4Light: Turn on streetlights with your mobile phone

An eco-friendly system now in place in parts of Germany allows people to control streetlights with their mobile phone.

The trustworthy Germans involved have put in place a system called Dial4Light that lets mobile-phone users turn on streetlamps only when they actually need illumination. While feasible in parts of Germany, we can't help but feel that in Brixton or Elephant and Castle, for example, such a system would prove a recipe for an increase in horrifically brutal muggings, as it's so easily subject to abuse.

The service requires you to call the Dial4Light number and enter a route code. Once you've received confirmation of the request, the relevant lights turn on for up to 15 minutes before it gets pitch black again.

The parts of Germany that have implemented this system have reported power-bill cost savings of 25 per cent -- good news for their carbon footprint.

Just don't leave home without your phone.

Watch the video on the BBC Web site.