Fluence by Osram teamed up with The Lamphouse, the largest supplier of specialized lamps in Africa to supplier its LED lighting solutions for horticulture applications. The Lamphouse is Fluence’s exclusive partner serving South Africa’s professional horticulture stores and fulfilling large commercial cannabis projects. “Local partnerships are a key factor in delivering fast and reliable solutions to growers. The Lamphouse is a natural extension of the Fluence team on the ground in South Africa’s biggest cities and beyond,” said Timo Bonga...

A new research conducted by the University of Arizona Health Sciences found that people who suffer from migraine may benefit from green light therapy, which was shown to reduce the frequency and intensity of headaches and improve patient quality of life. "This is the first clinical study to evaluate green light exposure as a potential preventive therapy for patients with migraine," said Mohab Ibrahim, an associate professor in the UArizona College of Medicine and lead of the study. (Image: The University of Arizona) During the study, patients were exposed ...

Analog Devices announced a strategic collaboration with Microsoft to leverage Microsoft’s 3D time-of-flight (ToF) sensor technology, allowing customers to easily create 3D applications that bring higher degrees of depth accuracy and work regardless of the environmental conditions in the scene. ADI’s technical expertise will build upon Microsoft Azure Kinect technology to deliver leading ToF solutions to a much broader audience in areas such as Industry 4.0, automotive, gaming, augmented reality, computational photography and videography. Currently, the indu...

Hydromea, a spinoff of École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), has developed a miniature optical modem that can operate down to 6,000 meters below the ocean’s surface. It is sensitive enough to collect data at very high speeds from sources more than 50 meters away. Radio wave can hardly work underwater as they are easily absorbed by water. So wireless internet connection underwater is nearly impossible. But it would be another story if the connection is based on light. Hydromea is using light to transmit data below the ocean or lake surfac...

Xiaomi announced that it is going to officially launch its Xiaomi TVs in China on September 28. The new TV products under the Mi TV Master series will feature 8K resolution and 5G connection based on panel using Mini LED backlight display technology. (Image: Xiaomi) Xiaomi has been expanding its high-end TV portfolio with the launch of its transparent TV series based on OLED technology announced in August and the latest update of Mini LED backlit TVs. Other than 8K, 5G and Mini LED technology, the Chinese company has yet revealed details ...

ON Semiconductor announced that SUBARU has selected its image sensing technology to enable camera-based ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) in the car manufacturer's new-generation EyeSight Driver Assist platform. The Levorg, a 2020 All-Wheel Drive Sports Tourer, is the first model to offer the new system. As with previous versions of EyeSight, ON Semiconductor's image sensing technology acts as the ‘eyes’ to enable this important safety functionality. The new-generation Eyesight, recently announced in the Japan market, provid...

Osram announced the plan to realign its partnership with Continental and return their joint venture business to the parent company. The information was released soon after Osram reported its transfer progress with ams, indicating that the company is speeding up transformation within the organization. Osram and Continental will negotiate on separating of the business in smart automotive lighting systems and returning it to the respective companies. The German companies noted that the decision was made in response to the gloomy market environment, which is being further impacted b...

The deal of Austria sensor company buying Osram is moving one more step forward as Osram announced that it has agreed with ams on the conclusion of a domination and profit and loss transfer agreement. In this regard, the Managing Board and the Supervisory Board of Osram adopted resolutions to sign the agreement with ams Offer GmbH and to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting for November 3, 2020 in which, inter alia, a resolution is to be tabled to approve Osram’s entry into the agreement. Base on the agreement, minority shareholders of Osram will receive an...

GE Current announced its disinfecting lighting product based on the latest patent pending technology. These solutions represent a first line of defense that fights a broad spectrum of germs including the SARS-CoV-2 virus around the clock. GE Current’s 365DisInFx™ technology leverages a business’ existing lighting infrastructure to deliver germicidal UV light in places where people gather. The technology implement UVA LED and demonstrated a 99.7% disinfecting rate of common pathogens on surfaces over an eight-hour period at 3 W/m2 with in-vitro t...

LiDAR solution provider Cepton Technologies unveiled details of its automotive-grade LiDAR sensor, Vista®-X90, which deliver advance performance with high volume price of less than $1000. The product is scheduled for production in 2022. The Vista-X90 is the newest addition to Cepton’s Vista-X automotive grade sensor family. It sets a new benchmark for high performance at low power in a compact form factor, and is ideally suited for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles (AVs). Weighing less than 900 g, the Vista-X90 achieve...

According to TrendForce 2021 Global LED Video Wall Market Outlook and Price Cost Analysis, given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, TrendForce revised down the global market scale of LED video wall in 2020. However, it is still expected that in 2H20, outdoor video wall and municipal projects like security and control room will benefit from government’s financial policies and economic stimulus programs such as new infrastructural construction and more. As such, the market demand of outdoor transportation and control room will improve in 2H20. It is esti...

ViewSonic unveiled its All-in-One Direct View LED Displays, a new addition to the large-size presentation display sector. Different from traditional LED displays, these new displays integrate display, image stitching, power supply, and control systems into one device that offers easy installation, operation, and maintenance. (Image: ViewSonic) "As a leading visual solution provider, we are pioneering new trends in the LED projector and presentation display markets and moving the development of LED technology forward by achieving this new milestone in LED...

As LG officially released its Micro LED display, Samsung’s The Wall is also moving a step forward by breaking into the commercial display market in Japan. BusinessKorea reported that Japan’s largest display solution company NGC is offering Samsung’s The Wall series to its customers such as NHK and TV Asahi. (Image: Samsung) For the Korean company, it is a great achievement to penetrate the Japanese market as it had been a rather close environment favoring domestic suppliers. However, since other Japanese competitors like NEC and Sh...

Vertical farming startup InFarm announced that it has raised US$170 million in the first close of a Series C funding round expected to reach $200 million. Led by LGT Lightstone, the first round included participation by investors Hanaco, Bonnier, Haniel, and Latitude, and was supported by existing Infarm investors Atomico, TriplePoint Capital, Mons Capital and Astanor Ventures. With a mix of equity and debt financing, the fresh capital infusion brings Infarm's total funding to date to more than $300 million, underscoring consumer and retailer appetite for I...

Lumileds reported the appointment of its CEO, Matt Roney, which will be effective on October 1, 2020. Roney most recently served as President of Lumileds’ Automotive Business Unit and succeeds Dr. Jonathan Rich who will continue with the company as Executive Chairman of the Board. (Image: Lumileds) “Lumileds has a long history of innovation in conventional automotive lighting and is a pioneer of leading-edge LED technology for the consumer electronics, automotive, and general illumination markets,” said Roney. “I am honored by the oppo...

It was reported today on September 21 that Chinese LED chip manufacturer Sanan Optoelectronics has progressed faster than expected with its Mini LED chip development and might begin to supply its product to Apple’s iPad Pro and MacBook in 2021. If Sanan joins the supply chain with lower price, the business of Epistar, the Taiwan-based LED supplier who is reportedly the major Mini LED chip supplier of Apple, may be impacted. However, TrendForce said that Sanan has yet made its way into the Apple supply chain and the low price may not be the first priori...

Researchers at Hiroshima University offered first proof that UVC light with a 222 nm wavelength, which many claim to be safer for human and animals, can effectively kills the SARS-CoV-2 virus, pathogen of COVID-19. The study was published in the American Journal of Infection Control on September 4, 2020, titled “Effectiveness of 222-nm ultraviolet light on disinfecting SARS-CoV-2 surface contamination.” The article demonstrated the results of an in vitro experiment of the research team which showed that 99.7% of the SARS-CoV-2 viral culture...

Taiwan based LED companies Epistar and Lextar announced that the share conversion date of their new holding company ENNOSTAR will be delayed. The two companies originally set the date on October 20, 2020 to convert shares of both company and list ENNOSTAR. But since the case has yet pass the review procedure of the Chinese antitrust authorities, the share conversion date is now rescheduled to January 6, 2021. (Image: Pixabay) Epistar and Lextar announced that they are establishing a new holding company through share swapping with the aim to integrate reso...

LightingEurope is promoting the benefits of UVC disinfection and advocating the integration of the technologies in the EU Renovation Wave. Aiming to stimulate market demand and fair market access in Europe, LightingEurope also calls for including UVC technologies in to the application and enforcement of existing safety rules and standards. “Our challenge is to switch regulator’s perception of UV-C beyond special applications to mass market solutions for buildings and transport, where the concentration of human activity raises the risk of contamination,&rdqu...

With applications featuring Mini LED display technology about to enter the market, the industry seems to hold a more optimistic view towards Micro LED. Two Micro LED technology builders unveiled their plans to set up new Micro LED production lines this week, including Taiwanese company PlayNitride and French Aledia. (Image: LEDinside) PlayNitride is going to commence construction of its second Micro LED chip production line with its secured funds of US$50 million. The production is scheduled to be completed and begin mass production by mid-2021, boos...

The latest wearable product of Apple, the Apple Watch Series 6, features a new function that can monitor users’ blood oxygen saturation, which is a critical indicator of people’s overall wellness. The function marks a milestone of wearable devices and is likely to drive demands for sensing components including LEDs and photodiodes. (Image: Apple) According to TrendForce, most wearable devices measure biometric data, such as heart rate, blood oxygen, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels, as well as sweat content, through a type of optical technology known as ...

ams revealed an ultra-thin sensor dedicated sensor for blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) measurement, bringing the capability to remotely monitor this vital sign to small consumer products such as earbuds, smart watches and wristbands, as well as to medical devices such as patches and oximeters. The new AS7038RB SpO2 sensor enables innovative applications in remote diagnostic equipment, such as disposable patches used for SpO2 and electro-cardiogram (ECG) measurement in hospital emergency rooms. In addition, ams also indicated that there are increasing evidence suggesting l...

Osram revealed an in-car air purifier featuring UVA LED technology. The company claimed that the device can eliminate up to 99.9% of viruses and bacteria. (Image: Osram) The product, named Air Zing Mini, is designed to removes germs from the air inside vehicles to improve air quality for drivers and passengers. The UV light of Osram’s Air Zing Mini works at a wavelength of 360 to 370 nm with a disinfection rate of 99.9% for the in-car air. Osram said that the device has already been successfully tested against bird flu viruses. The air purifier also elimina...

Facebook announced its partnership with Ray-Ban glasses EssilorLuxottica, to develop smart glasses. They plan to launch the Ray-Ban branded product by 2021. The glasses will not be an AR device yet, according to the report of The Verge, but are moving one step toward to the goal. (Image: Facebook) Facebook said further details about the smart glasses will be revealed when it gets closer to the launch time in 2021. But since they will not include integrated display with AR or VR function. So the new products may not be the results of its collaboration with Plessey...

Osram raised its business guidance for fiscal year 2020 since the company said it has seen strong recovery in summer, particularly in August. In the past few seasons, the German company has revised its business guidance several times, mostly revised the numbers down. However, this time the company is raising up its expectation. The Managing Board of Osram now expects a comparable revenue decline of approximately -14%, comparing to previous number of -15% to -19%. The adjusted EBITDA margin is now approximately 8%, which the company set at 3% to 6% previously. Osram also...

Energy Focus announced that it has been awarded a new indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (“IDIQ”) contract to supply lighting products to the U.S. Navy. The contract is worth up to US$4.8 million. This five-year IDIQ contract calls for Energy Focus to exclusively supply its LED lighting products designed for demanding exterior shipboard use. These lights use approximately 80% less energy than legacy incandescent counterparts, while meeting the required illumination levels for general illumination, combat, and refueling operations on most surface ...

AquiSense Technologies announced the launch of PearlAqua Deca, the first UV LED disinfection system designed for the point-of-entry residential, commercial and light industrial markets. AquiSense claimed that this product provides a disinfection rate of more than 99.99% with the compact and self-contained unit. The PearlAqua Deca features automatic on/off switching in addition to Dynamic Power Control which reduces overall energy consumption and extends lamp replacement intervals. It offers whole house disinfection with flowrates up-to 12 gpm (45 lpm). (Image: A...

Samsung introduced four new Samsung ISOCELL image sensors for its 0.7 μm-pixel product lineup. With the new 0.7μm ISOCELL technology, Samsung plans to expand the high resolution sensors to mainstream smartphones. “Samsung continues to pioneer innovations, such as ISOCELL Plus and Smart ISO, to deliver more pixels in a smaller package,” said Yongin Park, executive vice president of the sensor business at Samsung Electronics. “Last year, Samsung introduced the industry’s first 0.7μm-pixel image sensor and the first 108Mp...

The DesignLights Consortium (DLC) released the final version of its Technical Requirements for LED-based Horticultural Lighting: Version 2.0, an update that will continue the industry transition from traditional lighting data and metrics to horticultural-specific lighting data and metrics that best represent horticultural lighting performance. The changes have an effective date of March 31, 2021. (Image: Signify) After analysis of stakeholder comments on Draft 1 of the policy released in May and in order to allow continued development of the nascent horticultural ...

French company Aledia who focuses on 3D LED technology announced that it will invest EUR 140 million (US$ 165.82 million) to set up GaN-on-Si Micro LED production line. The production line will be set up in Champagnier, France and the company plans to begin Micro LED production by 2022 with the new site. By the end of 2019, Aledia began to collaborate with TowerJazz to accelerate Micro LED production based on Aledia’s nanowire-LED display technology and TowerJazz’ Transfer Optimization and Development Process Services (TOPS). Al...