This so-called “plasma ball” was developed in the mid-1980s by Larry Albright of Rabbit Systems, a USA company, based on an idea patented by Nikoli Telsa in 1894. The device has an 18 cm diameter glass ball mounted on a 14 cm cube, which houses a high-frequency, high-voltage transformer. The center post, connected to the transformer, operates at a negative potential in the several kV range at a frequency of about 30kHz. The oscillating high-voltage causes an ionic breakdown of the low-pressure noble gas (usually neon) and multiple arcs are formed to the inside of the sphere which is at ground potential. Because the electric field extends beyond the surface of the sphere, objects outside the sphere can affect the shape of the discharge within the sphere. There is also an audio mode that can be selected which modulates the transformer to change the discharge pattern with voice or music input. The commercial device has been marketed as an “Eye of the Storm” lighting unit starting in 1987.