Integrated with sensors, IoT technology and data management system, smart lighting applications are believed to improve convenience of life and efficiency of energy usage. Worldwide lighting companies have also been expanding smart lighting product and system development. GE lighting recently announced the launch of its C by GE smart lighting series products while Silicon Labs and Signify announced partnership on the Friends of Hue program. GE Lighting launched the new C by GE series including Full Color Lights, Tunable White bulbs, Smart Switches, and a Smart ...

Promoting IoT applications in commercial, industrial and retail industries has been a major focus of Osram. The German company recently announced its partnership with Facility Solutions Group (FSG), a building technology system specialist design, integration, installation, for advanced smart building IoT solutions. Moreover, it also launched intelligent LED lighting fixtures for industrial IoT applications. The collaboration with FSG will enable Osram to combine its fixture-integrated sensors, controls and components with FSG’s Encelium® Light Mana...

Rumors about when Apple will start adopting Micro LED in its products have been going on since it acquired Micro LED startup LuxVue in 2014. Many believed that Apple Watch would be the first Apple product using Micro LED display featuring its high brightness and low power consumption. However, it is also likely that the technology will be seen in augmented reality (AR) devices based on Apple’s recent plans. Reuters reported that Apple has teamed up with German software developer SAP to help business develop applications based on Apple’s machine-l...

Smart glasses and AR technology provider Vuzix and optoelectronic technologies developer Plessey announced an exclusive display device design and long-term supply agreement. With the agreement, the two companies will work together on AR products development and productions combining Micro LED light source from Plessey and smart glasses expertise of Vuzix. Vuzix has developed a Smart Glasses portfolio including Vuzix Blade, which won the CES 2019 Innovation Award. The glasses are equipped with a smart display, offering a see-through viewing experience via its waveg...

MIT researchers have unveiled a study in 2016 that exposure to LED flickering light with a specific frequency could reduce the amyloid plaques seen in mice with Alzheimer’s disease. The team recently published a new study which explains the effect of the light therapy at cell level. The new study, published in Neuron on May 7, found that this light treatment has widespread effects at the cellular level, helping not just neurons but also immune cells called microglia. Overall, these effects reduce inflammation, enhance synaptic function, and protect against cell death, in ...

Advancement of IoT technology enables integration of lighting and other application to improve efficiency of energy usage and save electricity cost. Commercial real estate owners are therefore actively seeking the benefits of data-driven, real-time applications that will modernize a business or learning space. Osram continues to deepen its involvement in smart application development with several strategic partners. The company has recently completed a pilot program with a Canadian university for space optimization. Osram Digital Systems and its growing ecosystem of partners are...

EDM International, a US-based sustainable solutions provider for the utility industry, created a system which can prevent birds from crashing into power lines by using UV lights. The system can cut crane collisions with power lines by 98%. James Dwyer and his colleagues from EDM International created what they dubbed the Avian Collision Avoidance System, or ACAS, by mounting UV lights on power lines' supporting structures and shining them on the lines at night. They tested its effectiveness in 2018 at Nebraska's Iain Nicolson Audubon Center, where a ...

Researchers at West Virginia University found that exposure to white light at night could impact recovery of cardiac patients and dimming the light can reduce the damages. With the results published in Experimental Neurology, the research team, led by Randy Nelson, who chairs the Department of Neuroscience in the WVU School of Medicine, linked white light at night to inflammation, brain-cell death and higher mortality risk in cardiac patients. (Image: Pixaby) The researchers re-created cardiac arrest in animal models and divided the models into three groups that w...

The development of agricultural innovation has become more and more urgent than ever given the factors of increasing world population and global warming. As a result, vertical farming, which serves as a feasible solution to mass produce healthy and safe food, is getting increasingly popular across the world. Samsung Electronics has launched full-spectrum white-based horticulture LEDs to keep up with the trend of agriculture innovation and underline the advantages of applying LEDs for smart farming approaches such as vertical farm. (Image: Samsung) Smart farming refers t...

With a wide range of applications, UV LED is considered a new rising opportunity for the LED industry. LEDinside noted in the latest report, titled “2019 Deep UV LED Application Market- Sterilization, Purification, and Water Treatment Markets,” that UV LED market continues to increase with the curing market steadily grow and rising applications in sterilization for surface, air, static and flowing water. With these driving momentums, LEDinside forecasts that the UV LED market value will reach US$ 991 million in 2023. Based on the wavel...

Signify presented its cutting-edge technologies in lighting and optical communication in “Signify innovation Day” in Taipei, Taiwan. The lighting company showcased its latest developments in connected lighting, Interact IoT platform, horticulture lighting and LiFi at the event, demonstrating the current trends in the global lighting industry. The world’s largest lighting company changed its name from Philips Lighting to Signify in May 2018, marking a transforming milestone for the Dutch company. John Wang, Senior Vice President of Signify and Pres...

Pioneer and Canon announced that the two companies have agreed to co-develop a 3D LiDAR sensor with the goal of mass production by Pioneer in 2020. 3D-LiDAR sensors use laser light to accurately measure the distance of objects as well as ascertain three-dimensional information relating to distance and the surrounding environment in real time, and are regarded as an indispensable key device for the realization of level-three and above autonomous vehicles. Pioneer has been working on the development of low cost Micro Electric Memory Systems (MEMS) as well as object rec...

The impacts of artificial light on wildlife have been a study focus for biodiversity researchers. On Earth Day, let’s look into how different street lights affect bats activities. A team at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) has conducted a study to find out how UV emitting and non-UV emitting street lamps influence the activity of bats in the Berlin metropolitan area and whether tree cover might mitigate any effect of light pollution. The study is published in the scientific journal “Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.&rdq...

Switching to energy efficient and longer lifetime LED bulbs from conventional lighting source can save energy cost. However, installing new LED bulbs in old lighting fixtures might be dangerous. A report of The Japan Times noted that the Consumer Affairs Agency in Japan has issued a public warning for LED bulbs changing. LED lighting penetration rate in Japan has reached 77 percent in 2017 with the public awareness of power shortage after Fukushima disaster in 2011 and halogen bulbs ban in 2012. But the popularity of LED lighting also caused some hazards. Th...

The Lighting Research Center (LRC) announced that it is developing a new course curriculum on lighting for plant growth and health to meet the increasing demands following the rising trend of indoor and controlled farming. Research from the Illumination for Plant Health (IPH) Alliance at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has shown that “Precision Light Dosing” can be used to combat the many pests and pathogens that reduce crop yields, and to increase plant health. At the same time, due to factors such as interest in local and sustainable food, along with m...

Featured with lower energy cost and longer lifespan, LED streetlights have been adopted by more and more cities across the world. Aberdeen in the UK and Kelowna in Canada have recently announced projects of LED streetlight replacement and smart lighting system installation. Moreover, the Malaysia government also said that it will convert all the streetlights in the country into LED starting from September 2019. (Image: Pixabay) The City Council of Aberdeen is carrying out a £9 million (US$11.79 million) seven-year program of replacing conventional street...

Industry players are getting ready to present their new products and novel technologies as it enters the second season of the year. This week at the National Association of Broadcaster, leading display makers including LG, Samsung and Sony have all introduced their advanced signage solutions at the show. LG was named by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) as the exclusive “Official 4K UHD TV Partner” for the 2019 NAB Show and installed more than 160 advanced LG 4K Ultra HD screens, ranging from 32- to 70-inch screen sizes, througho...

Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany have developed a novel, even more economical LED street light by replacing conventional high-performance LED with a special array of weaker LEDs. The new approach succeeded in reducing power consumption by 20 percent. Michael Heidinger at KIT's Light Technology Institute (LTI) designed a smart circuit that compensates aging and failure of individual LEDs. With the new approach, it is possible to install a large number of LEDs on a single board at low cost. Moreover, the LEDs incre...

To detect cancer at early stage is critical for treatment. In order to spot tumors before they become too big to cure, researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) developed an optical imaging system using near-infrared light to spot tiny tumors. The MIT research team noted that near-infrared light with wavelengths from 900 to 1700 nanometers, is suitable to tissue imaging because light with longer wavelengths does not scatter as much as when it strikes objects, allowing the light to penetrate deeper into the tissue. Using the advantage of near-infrared light, r...

The love-hate relationship between human and blue light becomes more complicated with a new research published by researchers at Purdue University and Boston University. They discovered that blue light exposure can kill Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a bacterium that causes infection in various parts of the body and is called “superbug.” (image: Pixabay) According to the new research, published on March 30, 2019 on Advanced Science, researchers found that exposing MRSA to blue light can render it defenseless against antiseptics as m...

Visible light communication, also known as Light Fidelity (LiFi), which transmits data through LED light, has attracted attention in the industry. European lighting companies and telecom operators including Signify, Zumtobel and O2 have trailed the technology for various applications. As LED technology advances, the adjustable wavelength makes it possible to transferring data wirelessly via visible light like how WiFi works with radio waves. In comparison with WiFi, LiFi has two strong advantages: high speed and safety. LiFi can offer high speed data transmission ...

The developments and progresses of Micro LED have been under spotlight for years with researchers in the industry and the academic field working in related technologies. Worldwide researchers have also applied patents for their technology achievements and breakthroughs to protect their intellectual properties as well as to secure leading positions in the field. (Image: Samsung) The Korean Intellectual Property Office analyzed the patent applications related to Micro LED technology filed from 2000 to April 2018 across the world and revealed that more than 60 percent of...

The 2019 Digital Signage Expo (DSE), held in March 26 to 29 in Las Vegas, gathered more than 250 exhibitors across the world to showcase their innovative display technologies. IoT applications, interactive display solutions on fine pitch LED displays with high resolution are trends at the event. Leading panel brands including Samsung, NEC, , Sony and others introduced signage solutions incorporating sensors, cameras, data analytics, cloud computing and more to provide cutting-edge products for commercial and professional applications. (Image: DSE) Samsung p...

For keeping the quality and effect of tunable LED lighting used in human centric lighting applications, a new research proposed novel methods to overcome the challenges of temperature change and lumen decay of LEDs. The research team demonstrated a system to maintain consistency and stability of LED light source over an extended period of time. Featured with tunable color temperature and spectrum, LED has been increasingly adopted in the developing human centric lighting applications in medical, educational and working environment for improving human well-being. Some of th...

Horticulture LED applications have become more and more popular as LED lighting uses less energy and delivers more efficient light source for cultivation with its feature of adjustable intensity and wavelength. To prove the advantages of LED lighting in horticultural applications, researchers at the University of Guelph, Canada, tried to find out to what degree LED advancements could benefit greenhouses. Dave Llewellyn, Katherine Schiestel, and Youbin Zheng from the University of Guelph investigate the potential for LED lighting technologies to replace conventi...

Australia and New Zealand are increasing their investment in smart city applications with more LED streetlights conversion projects going on in different cities. (Image: Pixabay) Telensa, the UK-based smart city and street lighting specialist, announced the partnership with City of Darwin in Australia. The company will provide its PLANet intelligent street lighting system and replace about 10,000 street and public lights with wirelessly connected LEDs. These streetlights will then be controlled by the Telensa Central Management System (CMS) and hos...

Wearable devices have become common electronics in the modern society and they have been integrated with various smart applications to enhance life convenience. Apart from wearable accessories like glasses and watches, scientists are working on developing smart clothing to create even more diverse applications. The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) announced its new achievement in developing a textile-based display module that is washable, wearable and self-powered. (Image: KAIST) Professor Kyung Cheol Choi from the School of Electri...

Taiwan-based LED company Everlight announced the participation of “SMART CITY SUMMIT & EXPO” in Taipei for the first time with the aim to promote smart street light and smart city. Everlight will work together with AAEON, ASKEY Computer, EverFocus Electronics and IBASE Technology to build up smart traffic, security and energy scenarios, integrating the related applications to present convenient and systematic smart city on the booth at the event (Booth No.: K824). (Smart street light of Everlight) Everlight demonstr...

In November 2018, Nikkei Asian Review has covered that Japan’s largest convenience store operator 7-eleven would set up a plant factory in Tokyo to produce vegetable for its own salads products in January 2019. The project operator and a longtime premium delicatessen supplier to 7-Eleven Prime Delica has adopted Signify’s growing light for its vertical farm facility located in the city of Sagamihara in the Kanagawa prefecture, Japan. Signify provided the Philips GreenPower LEDs to help Prime Delica to grow crops with vitamin levels and nutritional v...

Apart from human centric lighting, IoT smart lighting system and “space-as-a-service,” what are other trends of commercial lighting in 2019? Let’s move on to see what Osram suggested. Optimum Space Utilization Enabled by Lighting System Data How to efficiently manage the space usage is critical to companies. In the past, place planning has been based on calculations using industry-standard formulas, software that addressed some of an organization’s requirements, or even a manual process. This process could take a while and is less flexible. Neve...