Smart LEDs could connect Internet of Things

Light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs can connect Internet of Things (IoT) by providing a communications link for devices such as toys and utilities in a room, scientists have found. Researchers at Disney Research and ETH Zurich in Switzerland have demonstrated that consumer-grade LEDs can both produce light and serve as light sensors. By having individual LEDs alternate between sending modulated light signals and serving as receivers of signals, it is possible to create a network of bulbs that can send messages to each other and connect to devices, while having no discernible effect on room lighting.