lightact
Lightact is a very interesting lighting and media control system. There are bunch of features baked into the system that are quite state-of-the-art, such as: Native 3D visualization Control of lighting, video and audio Real time rendering, particle and image … Continue reading lightact
ip 500 alliance
The IP500 Alliance is an interesting standards alliance, focused on creating an open standard for wireless systems in smart buildings. According to their site: The IP500® Alliance is an international industry initiative launched by leading manufacturers, users, and operators. It … Continue reading ip 500 alliance
empire state building
I found some classic old images on my hard drive of the very first prototyping efforts of converting the Empire State Building to LED lighting, dated from approximately January 2007. Imagine stepping out of the window of an office onto … Continue reading empire state building
lijiang, china
I recently traveled to the Old City of Lijiang, China. A beautiful UNESCO World Heritage site, the Old City is set into the foothills of a mountain region and consists of crafted timber frames, fired clay roof tiles and exquisitely carved … Continue reading lijiang, china
inventdesign
InventDesign is an Amsterdam-based manufacturer of specialty LED lighting solutions. Check out their portfolio pages for a wild variety of cool projects. Continue reading inventdesign
disney patents multi-plane display screen
According to WDW News Today, Disney has taken a patent out titled ““Interactive Multiplane Display System With Transparent Transmissive Layers” which can be simply described as a multi dimensional screen. It will most likely be used to create virtual windows, … Continue reading disney patents multi-plane display screen
asb glass floor
ASB Glassfloor is a German company that sells a robust glass flooring product specifically designed for sports court applications. Because it is glass, the product can be used to create a variety of lighting effects, ranging from simple glowing court … Continue reading asb glass floor
deepeyes
DeepEyes produces video-based A.I. systems for a variety of people detection, tracking and counting applications. DeepEyes’ systems can detect general emotions, gestures, identify specific people, etc. An couple examples: According to one section of their site: In surveillance settings with … Continue reading deepeyes
age of enlightenment: the promise of circadian lighting
Check out this amazing article exploring the current state of knowledge on the science of circadian lighting: “The Age of Enlightenment: The Promise of Circadian Lighting“, by Lynne Peeples on the website Undark.org. Really…this is one of the best examples … Continue reading age of enlightenment: the promise of circadian lighting
blue light decreases suicides on train platforms
As a lighting nerd for close to 20 years, I’m personally disgusted at the lighting industry’s numerous dubious claims for the health benefits of blue light. I’m equally disgusted at the sensationalist claims about blue light’s possible negative health effects … Continue reading blue light decreases suicides on train platforms
teamlab: borderless
TeamLab, a Tokyo-based creative group, continues to WOW with new projection-heavy digital art installations. I first posted about TeamLab back in 2015, but now their latest is an entire 10,000 sqm museum installation titled “Borderless” with gorgeous large-scale projection-mapped installations. TeamLab’s … Continue reading teamlab: borderless
global presence alliance
The Global Presence Alliance is a 10-year old international consortium of A/V dealers and systems integrators that offers an interesting business model, one that might be replicated in the lighting world. As I understand it, A/V suppliers around the world … Continue reading global presence alliance
wooden germany
For those of you looking for really, really “warm” lighting, Wooden Germany laminates natural wood onto glass for some unique looks. They offer a range of different wood species for a variety of styles. Continue reading wooden germany
national geographic – visible light video
Check out this beautiful 1 minute video from National Geographic explaining visible light. I especially love the depiction of light waves in the electromagnetic spectrum and the absorption and reflection of light off of colored surfaces (screen caps below). Continue reading national geographic – visible light video
lensvector for wall grazing effects?
How about this: Take a row of LensVector’s solid-state beam-shaping lenses and put them into an old-school wall grazer, something like the classic Edison Price “Spredlite” row of PAR lamps. The effects of the beams zooming narrow-to-wide along the length … Continue reading lensvector for wall grazing effects?
cmu researchers transform walls into giant touchpads
Via Designboom: Researchers from Disney and Carnegie Mellon University have developed wall++, a low-cost sensing approach that allows walls to become a smart infrastructure. A simple to apply treatment, wall++ challenges the inactivity of walls, turning them into a large … Continue reading cmu researchers transform walls into giant touchpads
samsung debuts LED cinema screen in US
According the Hollywood Reporter, Samsung installed the first LED cinema screen in the US at a theater near Los Angeles. The screen is 33.8 feet wide and 17.7 feet high with nearly 9 million pixels. They state that right now, these … Continue reading samsung debuts LED cinema screen in US
lightly technologies
Lightly Technologies is a Dublin-based startup making flat, tiled light engines using LED. Very simply, they’re targeting the profile shape of OLED with the performance benefits of LED. They are currently in the midst of an apparently successful equity-crowd-funding program … Continue reading lightly technologies
ketra + lutron
Congrats to both the Ketra and Lutron teams: Lutron acquired Ketra. Founded in 2009, Ketra had raised approximately $31m to date as of 2015. I have no idea as to Ketra’s revenue or acquisition price. Lutron is a solid company, … Continue reading ketra + lutron
skandal technologies: update
Skandal Technologies have updated their website with their new “Poet” system for controlling ambient information in architectural environments. The Poet system unifies sensors, online data harvesting, generative content engines, servers, lighting solutions, and content management into one solution. According to … Continue reading skandal technologies: update
Lucept 