The U.S. Department of Energy has recognized The Wendy's® Company and one of its franchisees, Wendco Group, for their partnership in the Better Buildings Challenge and for leadership in energy efficiency. The Wendy's Company has made a commitment to reduce energy consumption in U.S. company-owned restaurants by 20 percent per transaction by 2025.  Wendy's is also the first restaurant company to include franchisees in the Better Buildings Challenge. To date, six franchisees have joined and more than 570 company and franchisee operated restaurants are participating in this program. 

Shimane University and a light maker have teamed up to make a protoype LED light worn on the ear to help nurses free up their hands when working in dark rooms, reported Asahi Shinbun.

The widespread replacement of conventional bulbs in street lighting by energy-saving light-emitting diodes (LEDs) has considerable influence on bats as urban nocturnal hunters. Opportunistic bats lose hunting opportunities whereas light sensitive species benefit. This was shown in a recent study by Christian Voigt and Daniel Lewanzik from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW).

Apple’s rumored switch to Samsung supplied OLED panels could be short-lived, said Innolux CEO.

The following is a notification from Foshan Electrical and Lighting that the retrofit LED tubes do not comply with UL's safety requirements and are not authorized to bear the UL Mark for the U.S. and Canada.

Philips Lighting, a global leader in lighting, has today released findings that reveal the lack of awareness about the European Union’s ban on GU10 halogen spot lights, effective from September 1, 2016. The research found that three quarters (75%) of consumers do not know about the forthcoming ban, despite the fact that two in five (40%) are currently using halogen spot lights at home. The EU legislation was driven by the need for increased energy efficiency in order to reduce electricity consumption and cut CO2 emissions. Focus now turns to LEDs, such as the Philips LED spot classic WarmGlow, as a high-quality, alternative that looks, feels and behaves like a halogen, but is up to 90% more energy-efficient.

RetroSense Therapeutics, a privately-held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted U.S. patent Application No. 11/036,629, entitled “Method for Augmenting Vision in Persons Suffering from Photoreceptor Cell Degeneration.” RetroSense is the exclusive licensee of this intellectual property for augmenting vision from photoreceptor cell degeneration through a license with Massachusetts General Hospital. This patent broadly covers methods for restoring or improving vision using optogenetic approaches. The allowed claims cover the use of a broad range of opsins and rhodopsins in vision restoration.

Since September 2009, energy consumption-relevant light sources have been disappearing step-by-step from the market. This year it’s the turn of the high voltage reflector tungsten halogen lamps as best-known representatives. These are no longer permitted to be put into circulation in the European Union from 1 September 2016 as part of the third step of Directive (EU) 1194/2012. 

Greater Dandenong Council has cut greenhouse gas emissions by 1,974 tonne annually thanks to a new lighting project in the city. 

LG Display has supplied OLED light panels to Chang’s Custom, a Korean car customizing company, to create the world’s first van equipped with OLED interior lighting.

Several interesting developments happened in the OLED sector this week, with the Taiwanese government announcing it will be pouring US $3 billion to develop flexible AMOLED and PMOLED industries in the nation. The flexible display technology will be co-developed with ITRI, and the government aims to form a comprehensive OLED supply chain in Taiwan and reducing the country’s reliance on material imports. Cadillac also showcased its OLED concept car in California on Friday, where it is employing four large OLED panels for its Escala concept car dashboard.

Diehard fans of Star Wars that have dreamed of deflecting laser light beams with Jedi light sabers might get a chance in a future Disneyland.

The Escala Concept debuts in California tonight, introducing the next evolution of Cadillac design and previewing the craftsmanship and technology being developed for many future models. Following a series of private previews, Escala will be displayed this weekend at the annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

The night of August 18th marks a new milestone at The Wharf, as Hoffman-Madison Waterfront's commitment to revitalizing the Southwest waterfront comes to life. On August 18th at 9:15pm, the new lighting design of the Francis Case Memorial Bridge (Case Bridge) will be inaugurated by Washington DC's Mayor Muriel Bowser. The inaugural lighting will gradually unveil the final design, offering a new perspective on the bridge and the City.

OLED displays might not be found on all iPhone 8 that is rumored to be launched in September 2017, according to a Barron’s blog article.

The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus might feature a pressure-sensitive home button with haptic feedback, reported Bloomberg.

GE Lighting is involved in the Olympic Games Rio that runs from Aug. 5-21, 2016, in ways more than just LED lighting installation projects. The company developed LED lights that can help monitor athletes performance.

Low power LED lights could raise Canadian snow crab catchability, according to a study presented by PHD candidate Khanh Nguyen at the fourth International Marine Conservation Congress, reported The Fish Site.

Iota Labs, a company founded by five Berkeley engineers, is launching a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to finish developing Dot, the Physical Push Notification. The campaign will kick off in Aug. 23, 2016 and features a LED enhanced smartphone notification device.

The adoption of iris recognition features into Samsung’s flagship Galaxy Note 7 in New York last week caught market attention, users of the device can unlock their phones simply by peering into their smartphone displays, reported TechNews.

Fulham has introduced a new technology alliance with Tvilight, a Dutch high-tech company and a European market leader in sensors, wireless controls, and lighting management software, to deliver fully programmable, wireless outdoor LED systems for emerging Smart Cities.      

Gemio, a wearable device developer, launched a new customizable smart LED band capable of lighting up in various color patterns.

To cope with saturated smartphones' market and gradually weakening sales, Samsung Electronics is considering to purchase Fiat Chrysler Group's automobile component manufacturer Magneti Marelli to develop new market segments.

More than half of Bolton’s street lamps have now switched over to new LED lighting - and work is on target to finish in 2018. Replacement work continues throughout the borough and almost 15,000 lights in 2,463 streets have been upgraded, since the rollout began in April last year. Approximately 26,000 lights on residential streets and main roads are being replaced with lower carbon LED lanterns.

Smart industries and intelligent living were the main themes of the 2016 China (Chengdu) Smart Industry International Expo that kicked off Wednesday, according to a MoneyDJ report.

The intensity of patent wars heated up in the last two years, especially among leading manufacturers in the industry such as Cree, who has filed suits against Asian rivals from 2015-2016. In its latest case against Taiwanese LED manufacturer Unity Opto and its American client Feit Electric, the two defendants might be willing to settle the case with Cree.

The high-barrier films coatings market environment is currently complex and in a state of flux as it undergoes some significant transitions driven by evolution of the technologies involved and end-user product demands according to the latest market data from Smithers Apex.

Nobel Prize in Physics laureate Shuji Nakamura, who was lauded by The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences as the Edison of 21st Century, recently noted laser diodes would eventually replace LEDs in lighting applications within the next decade at a fair in China last month, reported China’s LED Patent Alliance (LPA).

About 167,000 streetlights in Porvorim, the capital of Goa state in India, will be replaced with LED bulbs in seven months, said the Power Minister Milind Naik at a State Legislative Assembly recently, reported Herald.

Uniroyal Global Engineered Products (or the “Company”) upgraded the lighting infrastructure to more energy efficient LED lighting in its North American manufacturing plant located in Stoughton, Wisconsin. The Stoughton plant manufactures Uniroyal Global’s Naugahyde®, automotive and custom/specialty vinyl-coated fabric products. Utilizing an incentive from Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s statewide program for energy efficiency and renewable energy, the company implemented 575 LED light fixtures within the manufacturing plant’s production floor and warehouse.