As we expand our product portfolio with new hardware and software offerings, I thought I’d tell you more about one in particular — LightRules Power. This new addition to the LightRules family allows our customers to monitor real-time energy usage and cost for other systems and circuits within their facilities.

Fotodiox (//www.fotodioxpro.com), a manufacturer and distributor of high-quality photography and videography accessories, has announced the availability of its next generation LED light panels; the Fotodiox LED-312D, LED-312DS, and LED-1024AL. The new LED lights are compact and powerful, while remaining lightweight – perfect for both studio and location shooting. Fotodiox's LED panels generate little heat, use little power, and now the reduced bulk of these newest lights maximize portability and mounting possibilities to capture the perfect shot.

A U.S. university has found an innovative way of using LED lights. With the flick of a light switch, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies can change the shape of a protein in the brain of a mouse, turning on the protein at the precise moment they want. This allows the scientists to observe the exact effect of the protein's activation. The new method, described in the Oct. 16, 2013, issue of the journal Neuron, relies on specially engineered amino acids—the molecules that make up proteins—and light from an LED.

Using LED light sources as a medium for light therapy devices can stimulate the human body’s metabolism rate and greatly reduce medical risks associated to conventional light therapy, such as laser and intense pulse light, said Simon Gau, President of Liverage Biomedical during LEDforum Taipei 2013. Gau was a guest speaker at the forum organized by LEDinside, which runs from Oct. 16-17 at Evergreen International Convention Center in Taipei, Taiwan.

Nokero International announced the release of one of the most technologically advanced solar light, phone charger combinations on the market. The company also unveiled a new affordable solar light N180 priced at US$ 6.00 that aims to replace kerosene lamps that millions of impoverished people in Asia and Africa depend on.

Lighting Science launched Definity Digital™, the world’s first line of biologically-corrected lighting with products specifically designed to improve sleep, support natural melatonin production, boost alertness, accelerate plant growth, and protect wildlife. Based on patented LED digital technology developed by Lighting Science for the International Space Station and the U.S. South Pole Station, the revolutionary line of bulbs is both a scientific and technological breakthrough. The light bulbs fit into conventional sockets and provide the same bright white light that consumers expect, but with added health benefits.

The Black Eyed Peas truly lit up the stage at the historic three night stand at the Stade de France that marked the start of their last World Tour. The shows took place in the three times sold out 80,000 capacity stadium, in the suitably named City of Light: Paris. Fergie’s leather catsuit has been artfully integrated with 175 OLED panels, which sparkle like mirrored glass when turned off. When illuminated, the panels are controlled remotely through a software program to orchestrate patterns and lighting sequences to the set-list, resulting in a truly innovative and integrated performance of music, lighting and technology.

Crash risks while driving at night are higher than during the daytime, but most roadways in the U.S. do not have roadway lighting. In fact, many state and local governments find it difficult to pay for installing, operating and maintaining roadway lighting. Despite these concerns, the proportion of nighttime driving is not likely to go down in today's round-the-clock economy, making car headlights increasingly important to nighttime driving safety. Through its Transportation Lighting and Safety program, the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is evaluating the potential for new lighting technologies and approaches to improve driving safety at night, including new car headlight systems.

The Okapi LED luminaire is the latest addition to GE Lighting's exterior range. This energy efficient luminaire is available in three mounting options, to offer a flexible LED outdoor lighting solution.

Soraa launched the first line of high color rendering LED MR16 GU10 120V line voltage lamps. Uniquely, the company has released a 10o spot version, not available in halogen or from other LED manufacturers, as well as a 25o version that has a center beam candle power higher than halogen and all other LED GU10 products in the market place worldwide. Now you can buy transformer-free, full visible spectrum Soraa LED lamps that render the widest range of colors in the objects that we see, without ultraviolet (UV) or infrared (IR) radiation.

The global Breast Cancer Awareness Month takes place every October. To help raise awareness on this health issue that affects approximately 1.4 million women around the world, Philips has decorated 100 buildings and landmarks around the globe in pink lights. This is also the first time that Philips Taipei office is joining the showy display and lighting up four Taiwanese buildings in pink.

Everlight Electronics Co., a leading player in the global LED and optoelectronics industry with three decades of experience, has introduced the latest member of its ITR series of photo interrupters for use in optical switches, digital cameras and printers, the ultra small outline slotted type ITR1205ST11A/TR. A slotted type opto interrupter detects an object when it enters the gap of the slotted switch and blocks the light path between the emitter and detector.

Not to be outdone by compteitor Samsung, South Korean electronics giant LG, recently announced it has started mass producing OLED smartphones screens for phones to be launched on the market by 2014, according to reports by BBC, the Verge, Engadget and other media. Although, Samsung will be launching its new OLED phones later this month, LG is close behind with its new smartphone.

Veeco Instruments announced that the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom, purchased two GENxplor™ R&D Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) Systems for its School of Physics and Astronomy. The systems will enable the growth of high quality, large area layers of graphene and boron nitride for advanced electronic and optoelectronic applications.

GE Lighting delivers improved visibility and a long life rating for drivers with its GE NIGHTHAWK™ LED headlights, which are designed to last for 15,000 hours and draw less amperage than standard halogen headlights.    

Design website Designboom recently introduced a creative interactive OLED photobooth designed by Vienna-based designer Talia Radford of Talia Ystudio and media artists Jonas Bohatsch at Vienna Design Week 2013. The photo booth uses Osram’s high-tech OLED mirrors, which acts as a flash and display in conjunction with a camera that creates instant lo-fi thermal image print outs, according to the Designboom article. Two conductive plates are on the bottom of the contraption. Photos are shot when skin contact occurs between two people standing on the plates, and for about 20 seconds OLEDs flash and develop pictures onto a small scroll of paper.

RAB Lighting's ENTRA is the new affordable, high performance, low maintenance LED doorway light with a 12W, long-life LED. This sleek doorway light will outshine and outlast your traditional high-pressure sodium fixtures.

As electricity prices shoot up, projectors with energy saving LED lights and 3D features will allow consumers to enjoy the benefits of energy saving and a feeling of presence.

The University of Dayton, located in Dayton, Ohio, U.S., is the largest private university in the state of Ohio. Managing the energy consumption of a university that large is no easy feat, but that’s exactly what is asked of Steve Kendig, the Energy Manager for Department of Facilities Management, who manages all of the buildings located on the university’s campus. Energy consumption is one of the main things Steve focuses on, constantly striving to lower energy use as well as advance the sustainability footprint of the school. One project that was spurred through his ever constant battle to curb energy usage was within the Department of Visual Arts. This department provides quality education in multiple fields of art, from history to photography to graphic design. 

iMotion control and touch sensors has brought people closer to the sci-fi world in the movie Minority Repot where objects on a screen can be changed and enlarged with hand gestures. The technology has been largely limited to game consoles in the past, but iMotion is bringing the technology from the living room TV screen to computer monitors. The motion control which uses LED sensors for 3D space positioning can replace the mouse and even keyboards, allowing tech enthusiasts to show off their Jedi skills on the computer monitor.

Lextar Electronic’s newly developed dual-sided LED panel light Harmonia has won the Good Design Award 2013, one of the most influential design awards in Asia. The light’s simple and clean appearance, dual-sided LED that gives a harmonious lighting environment was awarded the Good Design Award. This is the third time that Lextar has received recognition from Good Design Award in Japan. The company had previously clinched two prizes at the awards in 2012 with two LED bulb designs. Harmonia is expected to debut in October at the Hong Kong International Lighting Fair (Autumn Edition).

Taiwanese design company Gixia Group was invited by German Vitra Design Museum to display its Luxifer LED bulbs at the Lightopia exhibition. According to the group, this is the first LED luminaire manufactured by a Taiwanese company displayed at the exhibition. The exhibition will also be traveling to other museums around the world.

Goldman Sachs latest global LED industry report pointed out decreasing LED lighting products are driving LED lighting market growth. Goldman Sachs believes LED and general lighting demands have climbed up 70% and 40% respectively in 2013 and 2014. The financial institute upheld its previous outlook that LED lighting penetration rate will reach 70% by 2020, but indicated future lighting demand growths will be much faster than expected.

Arbrux Manufacturing, the leading designer and manufacturer of floating lake fountains, pond aerators and marine dock de-icers, has announced plans to develop an LED light for fountains, ponds and reflecting pools after the success of its submersible light kit, which launched earlier this year.

The Satechi Touch USB LED Lamp turns nearly any empty bottle into a table lamp. Rather than throw away empty bottles, simply place the lamp into the opening of a bottle, plug the lamp into a USB port, and touch the silver top of the lamp for an instant environmentally-friendly desk lamp.

Fortified Bicycle Alliance founded by 10 MIT students recently launched a fundraising campaign on Kickstarter for their latest anti-theft LED bike lights Aviator Front Light and Afterburner Rear Light. The new lights are available in four different lumen models of 30, 60,150 and 300 lumens.

A recent U.S. Department of Agriculture blog entry introduces Purdue University's research resulgs on LED grow lights. Banks of LED illuminate plants in greenhouses. Purdue University researchers discovered that LEDs can provide a more beneficial light spectrum to greenhouse plants than conventional lighting while using 75 percent less electricity. 

Every year, we are reminded of the hidden beauty that lies beneath the surface of nature's foliage with the coming of fall and changing color of leaves. SoLux® natural daylight lamps reveal the true colors and beauty in painting by Van Gogh, Poplars in Autumn, and others by Monet, Rembrandt, and Picasso.

Samsung announced it will be launching a bendable OLED smartphone in Oct., 2013, according to reports by Verge, Gizmodo, BBC and others. The flexible OLED screens will be introduced into the smartphone model GALAXY Note 3, and only a limited number will be sold. As the first OLED smartphone to enter the market, it is expected to catalyze OLEDs commercial applications.

Global market research institute TrendForce Corp. announces today that it is going to release a new website focusing on professional lighting design– BeLight.com. Aiming at international lighting design and lighting industry for next generation, TrendForce hopes to transform the sophisticate preference in the lighting world into a commonsense for more people to live in.