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General Lighting Environmental Lighting Future LED

Factory Without Borders Helps Deliver LED Lighting to Consumers Worldwide

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Brazil at night. As population grows, so does energy needs.

Factory Without Borders announced in early September that they, along with Chinese LED lighting manufacturer Outrace Technology Co., Ltd. (Outrace), would provide constant, international monitoring of their manufacturing and delivery processes. The move is designed to allow customers to place orders at any time, regardless of where they are in the world. It will also help Outrace track production, determine inventory needs, and follow delivery logistics in real time.

checking phone updateTransforming the Lighting Industry

Factory Without Borders is revolutionizing the lighting industry with the new technology. It is the first in the world to digitize and customize production programming. Considering the growth of the LED industry, this places Outrace in an advanced position among its competitors. In addition, Outrace’s RFID Application System (a tagging-and-tracking system) that had originally been just an abstract, creative idea, is now a reality. Many experts believe that these advancements may demonstrate the future of globalized products, service production models, and new outlooks for entire production chains.

With Global Real-Time Monitoring, Customers Become Involved in Production

Customers will now be able to view their order in real time, enabling them to better plan inventory and customize their own experience with Outrace. The process will make it easier to predict and track delivery times according to the personnel and warehouse space available.

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Brazil at night. As population grows, so do energy needs.

OEM and ODM Production Management Finds Solutions

Outrace is an emerging LED producer and expects to become more involved in the global LED market through this partnership with Factory Without Borders. It is one of the largest OEM/ODM LED light manufacturers in the world (i.e., They are one of the largest companies that designs and manufactures their own LED equipment and products). Initially, the company plans to focus on the United States and Brazil, as they have the highest concentration of LED producers. However, they have begun conducting research in Singapore and Taiwan as well as other countries who have begun to increase their need for LED products.

Asia in Race to Replace Lighting

Asia is the latest market to see significant growth in the LED lighting industry—its businesses and residences have begun replacing incandescent bulbs with more energy-efficient LED lighting. In Malaysia, 6,000 people participated in the very first Light-Emitting Diode (LED) night run. The event was organized to encourage Malaysians to switch to LED lights, calling them “magical” when compared to incandescent lighting. In addition to the night run, The Marathon Shop organized workshops on the technical aspects of LED technology while also managing water stands along the route.

LED lighting has become increasingly more popular than incandescent lighting over the past few years. With the addition of real-time production and delivery management, it is expected that the increased global use of energy-efficient lighting will continue.

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General Lighting Future Future of technology LED

3D-Printed LED LightPaper Places Lighting on Almost Any Surface

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The range of applications for 3D printing are well known, as the technology is already used creatively in foods, metals, ceramics, and even organ transplant surgeries. Even so, we’ve only begun to utilize the full capabilities of 3D printing. So what’s next? A startup company called Rohinni says, “We print light.”

A Paper-Thin LED Light

Rohinni has invented an LED light product aptly named LightPaper. It is paper-thin and can be used to print a light-up version of, well, just about anything. LightPaper is made with a mixture of ink and extremely small LEDs applied to a conductive surface and then sealed between two other thin layers. Heard of the new Oreo Thins? Well, think thinner. Within LightPaper, there are thousands of tiny diodes; each one is nearly the size of a human red blood cell and lights up when a current is run through them.


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3D-Printed Light Could Change Everything

A paper-thin LED surface like LightPaper has many unique qualities. First off, it needs no batteries. Secondly, it can be made into any shape desired by designers—much like regular paper, we can mold it into whatever we want. Another couple of LightPaper perks is that it is considered eco-friendly and that it will [probably] be cheap to manufacture. I have to admit, this whole thing is pretty darn cool—I mean, imagine what we could do with 3D light-paper printers at home! (Maybe we could build the coolest collection of paper airplanes ever, that’s what.)

But I digress. Paper-thin lighting could someday replace (or enhance) fine art, television screens, window tinting, and logos on mobile devices. It may even eliminate lighting fixtures, lamps, and light bulbs—we could simply lay strips of LED paper above our couches or on our ceilings to light up our rooms. LightPaper could change how we read, and write, and advertise, and take pictures, and decorate, and customize cars, and . . . okay, okay, I’ll stop here, but the point is, the potential here is tremendous.

led-light-up-jacket-running-messages-futureUsing LightPaper Technology

Some speculate that 3D-printed light paper could be available to consumers by the end of 2015. Rohinni has said they plan to corner the commercial and industrial markets before moving elsewhere. Given LED paper’s super-lightweight quality, I would anticipate first seeing the technology applied to TVs, mobile devices, and printed media before anything else.

According to one marketing executive at Rohinni, “Anywhere there is a light, this could replace that.” He followed up with: “Everything the light light touches is our kingdom.” (Okay, that one was from The Lion King, but it’s still pretty applicable).

If they can pull this off, Rohinni and LED paper can really change the lighting industry. As technology improves, companies like Rohinni will hopefully find ways to get their paper into homes, supermarkets, and—as they mentioned—anywhere there is light.

Would you use LightPaper in your home? Where would you put it? Share some ideas with me below (I might throw a few your way, too)!

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General Lighting Environmental Lighting Future LED

Endangered Birds Are Wounded by Deadly Light Pollution in Hawaii

Misdirected lighting from an Air Force Base in Hawaii is causing birds to literally fall from the sky. While we’ve long known that light pollution can impact avian life, the severity of that impact is now becoming clear. Fortunately, lighting technology is developing faster than ever before, so solutions are available.

Misdirected Lighting and Its Effect on Birds

More than 126 birds have recently fallen around Hawaii’s Kokee Air Force Station. Ten of them have died. Affected birds include Newell’s shearwaters, a threatened species, and the endangered Hawaiian petrels. Birds flying over the base seem to be distracted by the combination of bright lighting and foggy weather, which causes them to crash into objects or fly, confused, until exhaustion. The US Air Force has redirected their lighting fixtures and the number of incidents has already declined.

 

Light Pollution Alters Birds’ Daily Lifecycles

Left: Photo of sky in a rural area with minimal lighting. Right: Photo of sky in an urban environment with the telltale “glow” from light pollution.
Left: Photo of sky in a rural area with minimal lighting. Right: Photo of sky in an urban environment with the telltale “glow” from light pollution.

The phenomenon in Hawaii is emblematic of a larger problem concerning birds and night light. Birds, just like humans, have circadian rhythms that govern their daily biological cycles. Excessive night light alters these rhythms and disorients feeding schedules, reproductive cycles, directional awareness, and more. A study published in the Journal of Pineal Research found that animals with disrupted circadian rhythms (catalyzed in this case by an overexposure to artificial light) also struggle to produce melatonin, which can lead to an increased production of fat, a higher likelihood of heart disease, lower metabolism, risk of hypertension, etc. Urban areas are particularly problematic for birds because the bright lights make it tough for them to differentiate between daytime and nighttime. Scientists stress that birds cannot function normally in habitats where natural lighting has been so severely altered.

 

 

Amber LEDs May Accommodate Wildlife

Although the proliferation of night lighting has caused this problem, lighting technology offers solutions. There are full lines of wildlife-friendly LED lighting available. Amber LEDs, for example, operate at a wavelength that does not disrupt the flora and fauna around it, but provides enough light to illuminate a given area. Companies like the one linked to above offer reflectors that prevent light from reaching anywhere it isn’t needed. The amber lights also have the energy-saving perks of LED lights; Energy.gov notes that “LEDs use 20%–30% of the energy and last up to 25 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.”

Your turn. Will LED lighting be enough to prevent interference in the lives of wild species? What other measures do we have to take to protect animals from light pollution? Share and tweet this article with your thoughts—I’ll follow up. 

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General Lighting Sports Human Centric Lighting LED

Across the Board, Racehorses Do Better with LED

While it’s well-known that LED lighting is cost- and energy-efficient, some British stable owners observe that LEDs may also improve the physical health and well-being of their racehorses, too.

Lighting Decisions for Horse Facilities

Farmers and riders have long experimented with horse barn lighting options. There are obviously a number of requirements for these kinds of lamps—not only do they have to provide high-quality light, but they must be watertight and extremely corrosion-resistant.  While the T5HO vapor-tight high bay fixtures are often recommended for horse barn lighting, it may be time to consider a new-technology upgrade.

Keith Foster, who owns Exhibition Seeds, and Stephen Fry, of HydroGarden, suggested full-spectrum LED lights. They recommended the lights be put into two horse stalls at Phil Kirby’s Sharpehill Stables in North Yorkshire, England, and Kirby agreed. Kirby installed the LEDs in two of his horse stalls, leaving them on from 5:00 AM to 9:00 PM each day for six weeks. They haven’t looked back since. 

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The stall of one of the racehorses in Kirby’s observations.

LED Success in the Stable

After just two weeks, both horses required an increase in daily food rations, and Kirby noticed clear improvements in each horse’s skin, muscle tone, appearance, and gallop. Kirby told HydroGarden that the two horses with LED lights in their stalls performed better than the other horses relying  on what little natural light was available.

The Science Behind LED Effectiveness

LED lights promote the release of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which carries energy to cells. When the ATP level of each horse was increased, cells could more efficiently use nutrients and eliminate waste. This benefited every aspect of each horse’s health. Similar studies in Italy and Singapore found that LED lights can improve the body’s ability to heal muscle strains and wounds, too.

LED-lighting-in-stable-atmosphereIncreasing LED Lighting During the Winter

Unfortunately, Kirby had to stop the LED trial short when summer approached, as the horses needed softer ground for running than what was available in the region. Kirby plans to add the LED lights to two additional stalls in the coming fall to give the horses the full effect of the lighting through the winter months, when natural light is harder to provide. He also plans to use the lights from October to March on foals and yearlings with the hope that the young horses will achieve better size.

Human Applications of LEDs

Given how well the racehorses responded to the lights, it isn’t too surprising that humans can benefit from LEDs as well. Not only have LED “tail lights” been utilized to increase the safety of horses and their riders, LEDs help regulate our circadian rhythms, keeping us and our horses in competitive, performance-ready condition.


racehorse-stall

Lighting the Way to a Healthier Future

We’ve only just begun to explore the benefits of LED lights, but we expect them to work just as well for horses as they do for humans. I have a feeling the equestrian community will soon see that LEDs are an easy way to help their horses (and save owners some money, too).

Would You Bet On It?

Do you believe in the possibilities of LEDs as much as I do? Would you be more willing to bet on a horse that had been exposed to LED barn lighting?

Here is a collection of places you can buy bitcoin online right now.

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Future LED

On the Catwalk: LED Technology and High Fashion

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Fedoras. Meat dresses. Handlebar mustaches. Full-body sweaters. Whatever these are.

The world of fashion has been known to make some wild (see: questionable) decisions, and I won’t pretend to be able to keep up with every new trend that hits the runway. However, there is one brilliant fashion choice that has grabbed my attention: LEDs.

Believe it or not, there is actually remarkable work being done out there to make light-emitting diodes wearable. Rapid technological reforms and the continued miniaturization of LED lighting have allowed LEDs to be embedded directly into fabrics to create myriad new possibilities.

Already, there are markets for dresses with hundreds of ingrained, color-changing LED lights and for those with waves of LEDs that create moving patterns along the fabric. This impressive LED catsuit already exists. The cool, low-voltage, and subtle luminosity of LEDs can make an article of clothing stand out, yet allow its wearer to maintain some kind of social decorum.

led-light-up-jacket-running-messages-futurefashion-led-catwalk-technology-future

Making a Statement, Literally, with LED Clothing

There are already shirts, dresses, jackets, etc., that can be connected to smartphones to display text and messages from social media. At sporting events, concerts, trade shows, and other events where people need to share messages (“I <3 Dr. Bulb,” for example), LEDs can now transform anyone and everyone into a walking message board.

Imagine a model casually walking through a convention center with an LED blouse directing potential customers to a particular booth, or another who can display the products a company has to offer. Apparently, LED-lit mouthguards have even made their way into overseas marketing campaigns. With a little creativity, wearable LED technology can be both eye-catching and informative, if not perfect for spreading good vibes at your favorite music festival.

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LED Illumination with Purpose

The future of LED clothing is limited only by the imagination of its designers and users. There are already articles of clothing that change color with the touch of a sensor and others that can get lighter or darker based on how warm it is outside. This is just one way LEDs cleverly merge function with fashion.

In the near future, a runner may be able to don a jogging suit that displays his or her heart rate, hydration rate, blood pressure, etc., on their sleeves. In hospitals, patients could wear sensored clothing that would not only show their vital information, but also alert doctors of an emergency if those vitals start to decline.

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Big Names in LED Fashion

The LED clothing barrier has already been breached by celebrities such as Katy Perry and Taylor Swift. Tay-Tay (that’s what the kids call her, right?) has in the past adorned herself, her backup dancers, and even the props in their hands with hundreds of LED lights. As the technology becomes more affordable and versatile, we can expect illuminated clothing to be adopted by other celebrities and, maybe, the rest of us, too.

What Do You Think? Would you wear LED clothing? Besides hospitals and athletes, can you think of any other applications for LED clothing? Throw me a few ideas in the comments below!

Categories
General Lighting Future of technology LED wireless technology

LEDs in Cars Will Communicate via the LiFi Lighting Network

FORD LED HEADLIGHTS CONNECT LIFI

Usually, when I talk about LED light bulbs, I focus on their luminary benefits—how they offer some of the most natural and most energy-efficient lighting solutions available today. However, I sometimes overlook the totally geek-out-worthy fact that LEDs are able to serve as communication points, too.

But . . . who cares?

I’m so glad you asked! One of the reasons this is so exciting for me (and you), is that LEDs—installed in streetlights, vehicle headlights, and street signs—could someday create an interactive and real-time network of devices that tells drivers everything they could need to know before (and during) their time on the road. LEDs will no longer just improve visibility for drivers at night; they may also improve driver safety with their network capabilities.

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Cars Connect Through LED Lights

Automobiles can now be fitted with LED headlights instead of traditional halogen lights. As I’ve discussed in past articles, LEDs can allow for wireless communication via LiFi (not to be confused with WiFi). LiFi uses the visible light spectrum (VLC) to transmit data, transforming LED light into a sort of bridge between devices. So, if your car has LED headlights or taillights, you could soon be driving a mobile data-transmission node!

Multinational technology giant Intel has been conducting research and development with the VLC since 2008. Engineers are now working on a system that would use a series of rapid pulses of visible light to relay information from one car to another. The pulses would not be visible to the human eye but could relay information about traffic conditions. Such information would increase the data available for a semiautonomous or autonomous driving system. The system would have access not only to the information picked up by the vehicle itself, but to information from other cars on the road as well.

Communication Occurs over the Visible Light Spectrum

Because LED technology communicates over the visible light spectrum, communication is limited to line of sight (including reflection). This can be a drawback where inclement weather or ambient lighting can interfere with the LED pulses. But the drawback is also an advantage. Communication over the VLC means that your car will communicate with other cars nearby to recognize immediate (and oncoming) hazards. By contrast, radio frequency communication provides a lot of excess data or “noise” that can drown out the important information a driver needs to make a split-second decision and prevent an accident. So far, the United States has recorded over 19,000 traffic-related deaths in 2015 alone; LED technology could save lives by alerting drivers of dangerous situations before it’s too late.

street-lights-lamps-led-connect-lifi-network-futureThe Street Grid as a Giant Broadcasting Network

As I mentioned earlier, LED headlights can be used for more than just car-to-car communication. LED light bulbs are also being installed in equipment such as streetlights and traffic lights. So, in the future, your LED-lit car may not just be communicating with other cars, but also with a complex mesh of devices on the street grid! As LED light bulbs become more widespread and their technology continues to develop, they will not just help us see—they will give us the data we need to safely and consciously navigate the roads.

Real-World Impact—What Do You Think? 

Do you think LiFi really help make our roads safer? Respond below…I would love to hear from you!