Last week hundreds of technology companies headed to Las Vegas for the biggest nerd-fest of the year – CES 2015 – to tout their wares and show off the latest and greatest gizmos.

From pilotless drones that follow you wherever you go to cars that you can park using a watch, the Jetsons would have felt very much at home at this year’s event.

Interestingly though, it was one of the oldest innovations that featured most prominently – the humble light bulb. In their quest to create smarter homes, companies have been finding new ways to integrate colour, connectivity and music into bulbs.

Here we take a look at five new types of lights bulbs that are bringing the sexy back into lighting:

1. Lightscapes

Misfit showed off its Bolt bulb which allows you to create different colour combinations and lightscapes around your home using an app on your phone.

2. Sound
Sony showed off a prototype of its Symphonic Light Speaker which has a built in speaker. It allows you to wirelessly control the bulb and stream music through it.

3. Security

The Sengled Snap Bulb goes one step further. They contain a speaker, microphone and a motion sensor allowing you to stream video to your phone and use the bulb as a security device.

4. Movies

Phillips showcased its Hue bulb which can integrate with movies and gaming to create different lighting around the TV screen.

5. Work, rest and play

Definity Digital has designed a range of bulbs, which they say could help you sleep better or be more alert depending on the time of day.

We’re turning on to smart light technology, too. Recently we took a look at how new materials like flexible electronics are influencing the way lights are designed:  check out the Plus Pendant, which is both smart and flexible. We’re also working on smarter ways to use energy in homes and buildings, including heating, cooling and through apps like Opticool which help to manage energy use in big buildings.