Detailed discussions of lighting related technologies.
Lensvector is a SiliconValley-based startup developing an electronically tuneable liquid-crystal lens system that can change a beam of light from spot to flood without any moving optics. Lensvector is a tech spin-out of Laval University’s Center for Optics, Photonics and … Continue reading Lensvector
My former colleagues at Lam Partners are incorporating some impressive rendering capabilities into their lighting design work flows, using NVIDIA’s Iray rendering software integrated into modeling packages like Rhino and 3Ds. Plus they’ve got some fun new toys like a … Continue reading lam partners and nvidia iray
Silvair is a San Francisco-based startup focusing on creating a lighting controls platform around Bluetooth Low Energy technology. The three year old startup just received $12m in Series A funding. Seems competitive to Casambi in many ways. I’m hoping all these … Continue reading silvair
UPDATE: MondoARC edited out the “world record” claim. Thanks MondoARC! In a recent post on MondoARC, Pulsar Lighting claimed to have a world record for longest LED installation: The company believes this to be a World first with Pulsar holding … Continue reading the 100,000 hour club
Casambi is 5-year old venture started by two former Nokia employees. Casambi is focused on developing a complete lighting system around the Bluetooth Low Energy techology standard. As they write on their site: Casambi Technologies’ wireless lighting control solution is … Continue reading casambi
Elon Musk continues to dazzle… Tesla just launched their Solar Roof product line, an amazing example of embedding electronics (in this case solar photovoltaic cells) directly into architectural materials (in this case roofing tiles). Tesla is displaying a fantastic, innovative … Continue reading tesla’s glass/solar electric roof tiles
Philips Lighting announced it is participating in a $7m investment round for PointGrab, an Israeli startup developing “smart-building” sensor technology. I’m reposting their white paper below for posterity: Smarter Sensors: How Deep Learning is Transforming Building Automation Jonathan Laserson, PhD … Continue reading pointgrab
Several technology trends are coming together – digitally printed conductive inks, conductive adhesives for pick’n’place machines, ultra small LEDs and other electronic components – to make injection-molded structural electronics very interesting for the lighting industry. The immediate application is obviously … Continue reading tactotek injection molded electronics
An interesting new lighting control system called Lightcloud from RAB Lighting was just launched. They promote it as a “ground up” system design and I can see why. I don’t normally review specific manufacturers product launches (especially since I work for … Continue reading lightcloud by rab lighting
Computer peripherals maker Logitech launched a battery operated, wireless smart home switch called “POP”. They’re labeling it a “home” switch instead of “light” switch because they’re promoting it as both a light and music controller, compatible with a wide variety … Continue reading POP home switch by logitech
A marketing mail came across my inbox from Planar announcing their latest direct-view LED screens offering an incredibly fine 0.9mm pixel pitch. To do the math, that’s 25.4mm / 0.9 = 28 pixels per inch, or thinking of it by … Continue reading 0.9mm pitch LED screens: approaching “retina” quality for architecture?
ISTL has some interesting multi-protocol, centralized LED driver products available. The White Knight 36 is the world’s first LED driver to integrate an advanced control system alongside a powerful 1000W driver stage, capable of controlling up to 36 independent output channels with the widest ever range of dimming control protocols. The White Knight 36 can be dynamically configured to use DALI, DMX, DSI, RDM, Art-Net3, KiNET & sACN dimming protocols, whilst being able to monitor external occupancy and ambient light sensors without the need for expensive external control systems. Continue reading integrated system technologies
As part of the renovation of the Central Station at Eindhoven in the Netherlands, a new luminous ceiling is being installed throughout. Here is the concept video: I shot some pictures during construction. I believe the contractor installing the ceiling … Continue reading luminous ceiling at eindhoven station
Via LEDsMagazine, a very interesting article and video interview between LEDs Magazine Editor-in-Chief Maury Wright and Eaton VP Ken Walma detailing Eaton’s new distributed low-voltage DC power system for LED lighting, which Eaton launched at Lightfair 2016.. Even though Eaton is … Continue reading eaton low voltage lighting system
Quick update on Idaho-based startup Rohinni, which I first posted two years ago. They seem to be making progress, albeit still in stealth mode on their product. They have a full staff, full board, and new office. Not much information on … Continue reading rohinni
Graham Norton on the BBC just mentioned the incredible lighting rig for the Eurovision contest…and said there are over 90 million pixels. Let me see…what’s that divided by 512? Continue reading eurovision
Modcam is a Swedish startup that is using cameras for various architectural tracking applications. Interesting that it is led by folks with a strong background in mobile phone development. Shows some of the same power of camera-vision systems such as … Continue reading modcam
An interesting development in applying the Internet of Things to an urban scale: A low-cost, low-power, low-bandwidth but wide-range network that is so cheap, volunteer groups are setting up city-wide test networks. And even right here in my home city of Amsterdam! Via the LoRa Alliance: LoRaWAN™ is a Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) specification intended for wireless battery operated Things in regional, national or global network. LoRaWAN target key requirements of internet of things such as secure bi-directional communication, mobility and localization services. This standard will provide seamless interoperability among smart Things without the need of complex local … Continue reading LoRaWAN
NEMA, representing the big lighting manufacturers, issued its response to the IES’s TM-30-15 proposed standard, and I’m frustrated by their position. It’s classic corporate sandbagging — the legacy lamp manufacturers are clearly trying defeat any new standard, just like they’ve done … Continue reading TM-30-15: a cowardly response from NEMA
