Light with Heavy Responsibilities

Think of the Filo bulb as our modern day USB. The USB port as we know today can do amazing things apart from data transfer. One USB port can charge your phone, power a keyboard, harness Wi-Fi, connect and power audio equipment, and even do crazy things like run this USB fridge. One port powering gadgets of multiple natures is the old idea. However the innovative bit with the Filo is that it uses this to solve a problem with today’s tech. Planned Obsolescence. While good lights usually last 10000 to 12000 hours, our gadgets aren’t programmed to. They break, or get updated very rapidly, resulting in us throwing the entire product away just to buy the ‘new version’.

LED predictions pull no punches

The LED industry is never anything short of interesting, and this past year has had something of a schizophrenic quality to it; 2016 was the year that LED lighting simultaneously lived up to expectations (in markets such as horticulture and automotive headlamps) and in some cases arguably failed to meet its own hype (as was the case with, say, human-centric lighting and Li-Fi).

2016 has been the year when the Chinese LED manufacturers really flexed their (not inconsiderable) muscles and started to move from mid-power to high-power LEDs. The Chinese have also been key figures in the merger and acquisitions markets with both Lumileds and Osram Opto in their sights. However, in keeping with the resurgent protectionist atmosphere of 2016, the Lumileds deal was blocked due to security concerns, while the Osram deal is looking in the balance. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out in 2017.

A Wireless IKEA Lamp

The lamp is of the LED variety using an Edison screw fitting (the live connector is found at the tip of the bulb while the neutral connector is the screw fitting, itself). One advantage of the Edison screw fitting is that the screw fitting on the lamp holder is connected to neutral which means that (in theory) if the system was live and someone was to put their hand into the bulb holder they will not be electrocuted unless they push their finger right to the base where the live contact is found.

Salt Water Is All You Need to Power This Lamp for 80 Hours

Hurricanes, earthquakes, elected officials—there are plenty of legitimate reasons to prepare for the end of civilization as we know it, and if the world’s supply of batteries ever runs out, you’ll be glad you had this emergency LED lamp tucked away in your doomsday shelter. Instead of trying to dig up a fresh pair of AAs when the power goes out, all that’s needed to power Hitachi Maxell’s Mizusion lamp for about three days is a mix of salt and water.

New Phila receives $35K to upgrade city lighting

Mayor Joel Day's goal is to change all of the city's streetlighting into LED light, and at Monday's City Council meeting, the idea became one leap closer to reality. The city was presented a check for $35,000 by Michael LaScola, a coordinator for American Electric Power's Energy Efficiency program. Within four months, the city earned more than the 773 points needed in AEP Ohio's Community Energy Savers program to be awarded $35,000 that will be used to upgrade all of the downtown's lighting to brighter, energy-saving LED lights. To reach the point goal, homeowners and businesses owners could participate in a variety of programs that educated and promoted saving energy.

What Is OLED Lighting: And How Is It Different from LEDs?

Will our 25-year life span LED lightbulbs be obsolete in 10 years when another hot new green technology comes along? We won’t have to wait another decade to find out. That new technology is already here: organic light-emitting diodes, or OLEDs. Estimated to be a $1.3 billion market by 2023, OLED lighting works by using thin layers of organic compounds to emit light through electric currents. In contrast, LEDs predominantly use the chemical yellow phosphor. Score one for OLEDs on the green scale. OLEDs also have no UV rays, whereas LEDs have some.

LED business news: Cree and Philips report mixed results

Royal Philips and Philips Lighting announced Q4 and FY 2016 results with LED revenue growing, while Cree's quarterly results beat expectations even while decreasing year over year and Forest Lighting faces a patent fight over LED tubes. Cree has announced its second-quarter fiscal year 2017 (FY17) results with revenue from LEDs and lighting exceeding analyst expectations despite a dip in revenue and profit relative to the prior year.

Self-assembling particles brighten future of LED lighting

Just when lighting aficionados were in a dark place, LEDs came to the rescue. Over the past decade, LED technologies -- short for light-emitting diode -- have swept the lighting industry by offering features such as durability, efficiency and long life.

Now, Princeton engineering researchers have illuminated another path forward for LED technologies by refining the manufacturing of light sources made with crystalline substances known as perovskites, a more efficient and potentially lower-cost alternative to materials used in LEDs found on store shelves.
The researchers developed a technique in which nanoscale perovskite particles self-assemble to produce more efficient, stable and durable perovskite-based LEDs. The advance, reported January 16 in Nature Photonics, could speed the use of perovskite technologies in commercial applications such as lighting, lasers and television and computer screens.

"The performance of perovskites in solar cells has really taken off in recent years, and they have properties that give them a lot of promise for LEDs, but the inability to create uniform and bright nanoparticle perovskite films has limited their potential," said Barry Rand an assistant professor of electrical engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment at Princeton.
"Our new technique allows these nanoparticles to self-assemble to create ultra-fine grained films, an advance in fabrication that makes perovskite LEDs look more like a viable alternative to existing technologies," Rand, the lead researcher, added.

LEDs emit light when voltage is applied across the LED. When the light is turned on, electrical current forces electrons from the negative side of the diode to the positive side. This releases energy in the form of light. LEDs operate best when this current can be strictly controlled. In Rand's devices, the thin nanoparticle-based films allowed just that.

LEDs have many advantages over incandescent bulbs, including durability, longer life, smaller size, energy efficiency and low-heat. While they are still more expensive than fluorescent lights for room illumination, they are more energy efficient, light up faster and present fewer environmental concerns related to disposal.

Rand's team and others researchers are exploring perovskites as a potential lower-cost alternative to gallium nitride (GaN) and other materials used in LED manufacturing. Lower-cost LEDs would speed the acceptance of the bulbs, reducing energy use and environmental impacts.

Perovskite is a mineral originally discovered in the mid-1800s in Russia and named in honor of the Russian mineralogist Lev Perovski. The term "perovskite" extends to a class of compounds that share the crystalline structure of Perovski's mineral, a distinct combination of cuboid and diamond shapes.
Perovskites exhibit a number of intriguing properties -- they can be superconductive or semiconductive, depending on their structure -- that make them promising materials for use in electrical devices. In recent years, they have been touted as a potential replacement for silicon in solar panels: cheaper to manufacture while offering equal efficiency as some silicon-based solar cells.

Hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite layers are fabricated by dissolving perovskite precursors in a solution containing a metal halide and an organic ammonium halide. It is a relatively cheap and simple process that could offer an inexpensive alternative to LEDs based on silicon and other materials.
However, while the resulting semiconductor films could emit light in vivid colors, the crystals forming the molecular structure of the films were too large, which made them inefficient and unstable.

In their new paper, Rand and his team report that the use of an additional type of organic ammonium halide, and in particular a long-chain ammonium halide, to the perovskite solution during production dramatically constrained the formation of crystals in the film. The resulting crystallites were much smaller (around 5-10 nanometers across) than those generated with previous methods, and the halide perovskite films were far thinner and smoother.

This led to better external quantum efficiency, meaning the LEDs emitted more photons per number of electrons entering the device. The films were also more stable that those produced by other methods.
Russell Holmes, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Minnesota, said the Princeton research brings perovskite-based LEDs closer to commercialization.

"Their ability to control the processing of the perovskite generated ultra-flat, nano-crystalline thin films suitable for high efficiency devices," said Holmes, who was not involved in the research. "This elegant and general processing scheme will likely have broad application to other perovskite active materials and device platforms."

Tri-State LED completes LED retrofit for Medford Fire Department

Tri-State LED, a division of Revolution Lighting Technologies, announced it has completed an LED lighting retrofit for the Medford Fire Department, located in Medford, NY. The retrofit occurred throughout all three buildings of the department, including a mechanic shop, district meeting room, and the main garages, and involved the complete replacement of existing fluorescent lighting that will reduce the department's lighting energy use by over 65%, and achieve a return on investment of only two years.

Tri-State LED's comprehensive "turn-key" services began with the detailed testing and evaluation of LED solutions, including Revolution Lighting's LED tubes. After the initial phases of project development, Tri-State LED worked closely with Medford Fire Department to ensure the installation of the LED technologies would not interfere at all with the day-to-day responsibilities of an active department, while also managing all phases of scope and budget development, final material selection, and project management.

The retrofit replaces the fire department's antiquated lighting technologies with LED solutions, delivering superior efficiency, longevity, and light output. This includes Revolution Lighting's LED tubes that last three times longer than conventional lighting, have a rated lamp life of more than 70,000 hours, and come with a market-leading 10-year warranty to ensure the longevity of both maintenance and energy savings for the Medford Fire Department.
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Paving the Way for an Efficient Light Bulb in Every Socket

The U.S. Department of Energy has just updated and expanded its definition of what constitutes an everyday light bulb in our homes and businesses, paving the way for the Trump administration to implement the second phase of a bipartisan law signed by President George W. Bush to cut the energy waste of bulbs. Energy efficiency standards were sorely needed because the incandescent light bulb had not been significantly updated since the days of Thomas Edison, more than 125 years earlier.

LEDs and Power Electronic Innovations Converge to Handle Module-Level Thermal Management

In 2015, all economic indicators pointed to continued market growth for power electronics and LEDs, especially with IGBT modules boosted by EV/HEV industry and general lighting applications, a killer application for LEDs since 2012. To support this growth and answer the thermal management needs in power electronics and LED, many innovative technologies are emerging. “Power electronics and LEDs are different industries that today face similar challenges,” said Dr. Pierric Gueguen, business unit manager at Yole, in a press release about the report.

ALW acquires Northern California-based LED lighting manufacturer Neidhardt

Architectural Lighting Works (ALW) — a privately owned, international manufacturer of high-performance, commercial luminaires — announces the acquisition of Neidhardt, Inc. Neidhardt is a full-service lighting manufacturer founded in 1992 and based in Redwood City, CA.

The Neidhardt acquisition will complement and build upon ALW’s broad portfolio of primarily linear architectural LED luminaires with the addition of Neidhardt’s line of primarily decorative architectural LED luminaires.

Frank Neidhardt, founder and heretofore CEO of Neidhardt, joins ALW as vice president of product design and development.


Neidhardt will maintain its separate brand name, web presence and workforce for the immediate future. Sales and customer service for both brands will be handled by ALW.

Infineon enables compact and cost-effective LED front light applications with LITIX LED driver family

LEDs in automotive front lighting enable energy savings, new light designs and applications such as matrix beam and laser high-beam. Supporting the progress in automotive lighting Infineon Technologies launched high-power LED drivers specifically designed for automotive front lights. The drivers are available within the new LITIX Power Flex series and the LITIX Power series. They address flexible DC/DC driver solutions supporting LED systems of up to 50 W and even above. Application setups can vary: many medium-power LEDs with string voltages of up to 55 V or few LEDs with high currents of up to 3 A and more.

Both LED drivers, the LITIX Power Flex TLD5541-1QV and the LITIX Power TLD5190QV, are well-suited for high-power and high-current LED applications. These include for example front lighting, laser and LED headlamps. They also suit high-efficiency supplies for LED applications working on battery voltage. Furthermore, they allow cost-optimized full-LED front light applications for cars and even motorcycles with their space limitations in the handlebar’s headlamp.

[Native Advertisement] The TLD5541-1QV is a first available member of the new multi-topology DC/DC controller family LITIX Power Flex. The synchronous H-bridge DC/DC controller is ideal for driving all high-power LED configurations with maximum system efficiency of well above 92 percent. This results in higher reliability and improved thermal behavior and reduced PCB size. Thanks to its optimized spread spectrum switching frequency, the TLD5541-1QV helps reduce EMC emissions to fulfill challenging EMC requirements like CISPR 25 class 5.

Some Frankfort city lights may be replaced with LEDs

Thanks to communication between city and Frankfort Plant Board staff, the city will be applying for a grant to replace some current street light bulbs with more energy-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures. The grant is through the Kentucky Energy Efficiency and Conservation for Local Government program in the Department for Local Government. City Manager Tim Zisoff said he and FPB General Manager Herbbie Bannister have been talking informally over the last three years about making the change to LEDs, but prices only recently went down to a level for officials to seriously consider it.

LED lights could get better with self-assembling particles

LEDs have dramatically transformed the lighting world over the past few years, thanks to their increased efficiency and life-span over past technologies. But LEDs could see even more upgrades with perovskite particles, a self-assembling nanoscale material that could make them even more efficient and cheaper to produce, Physorg reports. Researchers have already shown how perovskites could improve solar cells, but until now it was difficult to create uniform films made out of the material.

The Durabulb LED Lightbulb Delivers Improvements In Unexpected Places

Durable and lightbulb aren’t two words that usually come up in word association challenges, but in the case of the new Durabulb LED lightbulb, those two have been married together and it turns out, they play very well together. The central reason for the Durabulb to exist is the fact that lightbulbs are typically very fragile. Lighting Science, the company behind the Durabulb, wanted to build a product that would excel in all environments including those where a fragile glass bulb would not fare well or could pose a safety risk.

This Fingerless Glove with LED lights makes detailed work in the dark possible

It’s only when you’ve been working the same job for a couple months that you start to realize what aspects you could improve on. Foot rests for under your desk and a wrist support at an office, a rechargeable thermos for those that work in tough conditions, and bike accessories for those with a commute. There’s an app or product for just about anything you can think of. For those of you out there that work in a world of darkness, such as those who fish in the wee hours, are stage crew at a theater, or a nighttime photographer, light is a must, but it has to be in a controlled amount. You can’t swing a flashlight around or your work will be affected. This Fingerless Glove with LEDs will make sure that you can not only see, but will be able to put your light only where you need it

LED street lights installed throughout Mesa County

Grand Junction city officials are looking to save more than $20,000 a year on their power bill. Xcel Energy is covering the cost to switch street light bulbs to LEDs. LED lights have many benefits, not just a longer lifespan. “They don't burn out, they don't create a lot of heat, you never have to change them,” said David Hutchinson with Batteries + Bulbs.

Smart Bluetooth LED glasses

Straight out of the 80s, the CHEMION glasses are designed exactly as they should be, to attract attention. These aren’t meant to be a fashion statement or compete with Ray-Ban, they’re party glasses. Period. They’re made pretty much from all plastic and an array of LED lights. They are a bit bulky, and the slats in the front that allow you to see through them don’t provide the best view out. Your peripheral vision will be affected, but again, these are for parties not for just wearing to cross streets.

LEDs offer new way to kill germs in water

Tiny wires grown on thin, flexible metal sheets can now give off an ultraviolet (UV) glow. One day, such wires might find use in disinfecting water or killing germs on instruments that had been used in surgery. These wires might even lead to bendable computer displays, scientists say. The nano-scale wires are light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, — devices that are very energy efficient. LEDs typically glow most strongly at only a few wavelengths. Those wavelengths will depend on what the LEDs had been made from, notes Roberto Myers. He’s a materials scientist at Ohio State University in Columbus. His team developed the new LED nanowires.

These acid-white LEDs serve as a lesson for Toronto planners

Hit the lights! When Aura, at the corner of Yonge and Gerrard, turned on its exterior decorative lighting about a year ago, the downtown Toronto skyline changed dramatically. The 78-storey condominium tower was capped by long vertical icicles of acid-white LEDs: Many Torontonians were surprised. And so were some of the city’s planning staff. Through several years of discussion and negotiations with developer Canderel and architects Graziani & Corazza, there had been talk of lights – but nobody, it seems, realized quite how big or bright they were going to be. And on the drawings that were submitted to the city for approval in 2012, there are no lights shown at all.

Access Fixtures Launches 4-Lamp T5 Fluorescent High Bay Light Fixtures

Access Fixtures announces the launch of its new 4-lamp T5 fluorescent high bay fixtures. The HENO 4-lamp T5s with Philips Advance ballasts are available in three styles - lensed, caged, and open. Even against LEDs, T5 fluorescent high bays remain relevant; they are as efficient as or more efficient than other technologies and cost much less. A 20,000-lumen HENO 4-lamp T5 fluorescent high bay is less expensive than a 20,000-lumen LED high bay.

With T5HO lamps from Access Fixtures, the 4-lamp fixtures deliver 5,000 initial lumens per lamp, for 20,000 total lamp lumens at a high efficacy of 92.59 lumens per watt. The T5 lamps are 85 CRI, meaning they provide superior visibility. When used for an average of 12 hours per start, they are rated for 40,000 hours. Best of all the lamps are easy and inexpensive to replace.

Featuring name-brand Philips Advance ballasts, an aluminum reflector, 20-gauge steel construction, and chains for easy mounting, the Access Fixtures 4-Lamp T5s are dependable and built to perform. HENO T5 fixtures are equipped with CSA- and UL-certified Philips Advance Centium Ballasts—considered to be the best fluorescent ballasts available—that auto-detect line voltages between 120v and 277v.

All styles are in stock now. These units are ideal for gymnasiums, warehouses, factories, and other facilities with high ceilings. Lamps are available 3000K, 4100K, and 5000K. Leviton occupancy sensors are available, too. The HENO family runs deep—whether you need fixtures with acrylic lenses, wire guards, or occupancy sensors, Access Fixtures has the best low-cost, energy-efficient fluorescent high bay for you.

Fulham Introduces Energy Efficient LED High Bay Retrofit Kit

Fulham Co., Inc., a supplier of lighting components and electronics for commercial and specialty applications, has released a new LED High Bay Retrofit Kit designed specifically for use in warehouses, hangars, gymnasiums, or any building where 400W HID high bay lighting is traditionally used. The new LED High Bay Retrofit Kit includes an LED driver, lens, and the newly released 300W Surface-Mount LED DC Module to deliver energy-savings illumination in a programmable design. This Kit is DLC listed and UL Classified for field installations, and can qualify for many utility rebate programs.

The LED High Bay Retrofit kit is suitable for both high bay and low bay installations and can fit any acrylic refractor with a diameter of 10 to 10.75 inches. The surface-mount LED driver is rated for 120V to 277V applications and consumes substantially less power, even 20 percent less than conventional LEDs while delivering the same brightness. There also is a built-in heat sink for integrated thermal management. Field installation can be made in five to 10 minutes with four-point installation.

Agrivolution’s Agri LED Light Picked for New Vertical Farming Panels

Light emitting diode (LED) lighting from agri-technology company Agrivolution LLC has been selected for integration into a patented aeroponic vertical farming system developed by Indoor Farms of America, LLC after Agrivolution won a year-long performance review against other LED products that provide artificial light for agricultural uses.

The new relationship brings together Indoor Farms of America, a U.S. market leader in affordable, economically viable, high-yield vertical aeroponic crop growing equipment that can grow pesticide-free local fruits and vegetables year round, and Agrivolution that supplies advanced horticultural LEDs that are popular in Asia and elsewhere around the globe.

The announcement comes as Las Vegas, NV-based Indoor Farms of America has steadily increased its market share as the company expands across North America and into key markets globally.

"Indoor Farms of America tested the Agrivolution ultra-thin and lightweight bar type Triple-Band LED against a dozen competing products for over a year and determined its superior performance to grow plants indoors," said Agrivolution President Richard Fu. "Based on the trial results, Indoor Farms of America decided on Agrivolution as its standard LED equipment provider for leafy greens and other select crops."

The global vertical farming industry is forecasted to grow to $6.81 Billion by 2022 according to a report issued by international research group Research and Markets called "Global Vertical Farming Market Analysis & Forecast, 2016-2022." Agrivolution expects to supply approximately 10,000 units of the Triple-Band LEDs across North America in 2017.

Indoor Farms of America will integrate the Agrivolution LEDs into its enhanced aeroponics system to grow larger plants such as heirloom tomatoes, squash, and cucumber. The company has already been successful testing its growing techniques that produce a variety of leafy green products, as well as cherry tomatoes, chili peppers, and strawberries.

Aeroponics is a technique that mists nutrient solutions and supplies ample oxygen to plant and vegetable roots directly. It promotes root growth which reduces root rot and results in healthier plants. Artificial light from LEDs enables plants, vegetables and fruits to photosynthesize ― the process by which plants use ― to convert energy of light into chemical energy as its fuel.

East Elizabeth Street lamps retrofitted with LEDs

The street lamps on East Elizabeth Street between 6th and 14th streets will cast a whiter, brighter glow thanks to a retrofit with LED lights and new globes. The pilot project is an initiative of Main Street Brownsville that involves changing out 159 lights on 53 street lamps, three fixtures to a lamp, as well as the installation of surge protectors. The work was scheduled to be complete today, according to Main Street Manager Miriam Suarez, who said the new lights “look really good” after sundown.

New high-power LEDs deliver lower system cost

Mouser now stocks the Cree XLamp MHB-B LEDs. These new high-power LEDs enable designers to more effectively deliver lower system costs for high-lumen, high-efficiency applications designed to meet the new DesignLights Consortium (DLC) 4.0 Premium requirements.

The LEDs incorporate key elements of Cree’s SC5 Technology platform to combine high light output, high efficacy and high reliability to enable high lumen LED designs that are not possible with mid-power LEDs. The LEDs deliver up to 931 lumens at 85C and 13% higher lumens per watt (LPW) than the MHB-A LED in the same 5mm × 5mm package, allowing lighting manufacturers to quickly increase performance for existing MHB designs without any additional investment.

The LED enables designs that use significantly lighter and smaller heat sinks than designs based on mid-power LEDs. For example, a high-bay reference design built with these LEDs delivers 24,000 lumens and more than 130 LPW system efficacy at 44% less weight and 36% smaller diameter than comparable high bays based on mid-power LEDs. Built on the company’s high-power ceramic technology, the LEDs have LM-80 data available immediately, delivering reported L90 lifetime projections of 60,000 hours at 105C.

Thousands Of Himalayan Rock Salt Lamps Are Being Recalled

Himalayan rock salt lamps are extremely trendy for a number of reasons, ranging from how cute they look in just about any room to their alleged (but unconfirmed) health benefits. However, if you have one in your home, you may want to check on the brand. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, thousands of Himalayan rock salt lamps are being recalled — specifically, three different lamps from Lumière, sold between July and November 2016 at Michael's, as well as through Amazon. The report states that, once these lamps are plugged in, they can overheat and potentially catch fire, making them a shock and fire hazard.

Osram to Supply Lighting for Driverless Rinspeed Vehicle

Osram Licht AG has been chosen as the exclusive lighting supplier for Oasis, a driverless concept vehicle from Swiss think tank Rinspeed AG.  “Osram has been behind a multitude of industry firsts that speak to its breadth of research and development expertise and we are excited to be the exclusive lighting supplier for the Rinspeed Oasis, a vehicle that epitomizes forward-thinking technologies and creativity,” said Peter Knittl, senior director of automotive LEDs at Osram Opto Semiconductors.

Incandescent light bulbs need to go in trash today

Light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs, center, are the way to go, says a UC Berkeley energy economist. Now is the time to r eplace all your incandescent bulbs , left. And replace your compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, right, when they burn out. A standard LED bulb now costs only $3-$4, less if your local utility subsidizes them. That LED uses 8.5 watts to produce the same amount of light as a 60-watt incandescent. The Department of Energy generally calculates costs assuming a lightbulb is used three hours per day, but let’s be super conservative and assume it’s on only one hour a day.

A homeowner primer on LED lighting

Since the federal government mandated in 2007 that light bulbs needed to be 25 percent more energy efficient than incandescents, the industry has solved the problem by creating consumer-friendly light-emitting diode, or LED, bulbs. It used to be that all you needed to know was whether your lamp took 60, 75 , or 100 watts. Homeowners now are faced with learning a whole new lingo. The most common complaint against LEDs, and I share this one, is that the light emitted is too white. Correlated color temperature, or CCT, is a measure of how white the light is.

LED Lighting is at a Tipping Point

Light-emitting diode (LED) lighting has improved greatly in just the past few years. The quality of light produced by LED lamps has evolved from what many considered either too harsh or not bright enough, to a full range of brightness cross-matrixed with a full range of colour temperatures ranging from warm and soft to cool and bright. Package styles, performance and sizes now match traditional halogen and fluorescent technology lamps.

World's largest LED street light replacement project launched

Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal launched the world's largest LED street light replacement project completed by SDMC in south Delhi wherein two lakh conventional street lights have been replaced with energy efficient LEDs. The minister also launched the second phase of the project for installation of 75,000 more LED lights in the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) area with special focus on the installation of LED light in parks, dark spots and high mast lights.st

Helia bulbs cut blue light to help you sleep at night

Soraa doesn't generally make lighting solutions for us plebeians. Its lightbulbs grace the likes of the Palace of Versaille, not the One Bedroom of Terrence. But the company is ready to dabble in the consumer market with Helia. These smart bulbs jump not just on the bandwagon of IoT, but also embrace the growing hostility towards blue light. The bulbs all communicate over your powerlines, creating room-based groups. If you tack on the Presence Smart SNAPs, you can get all the lights in your kitchen to turn on in the morning as you enter the room.

Smart lamp 'paints' light in any direction you like

A Vienna-based startup named Luke Roberts is releasing the Luke Roberts Smart Lamp. It's an Indiegogo success that lets you cast light of any color in any direction by picking a shade in the companion app, then swiping your finger across your phone's screen like a paint brush. Though it isn't cheap, it's a pretty impressive product with plenty of color-changing horsepower. Inside are over 300 light-emitting diodes -- for comparison, a color-changing Philips Hue LED only has a few dozen.

Are Smart Lights More Efficient Than Regular LEDs?

Looking at the plain numbers, smart bulbs aren't quite as efficient as the best 'dumb' Eco LEDs you can get on the market, but they're close. Philips' non-Wi-Fi enabled bulbs use 7.5 watts (a measure of energy usage) to produce 600 lumens (a measure of brightness), while the Hue bulbs draw around 8.5 watts for the same brightness. While they're far better than a traditional 50 watt lightbulb, they're still a tiny bit more of a drain than a regular LED.

SpaceB Levitating Light Bulb Lamp

Add a sense of magic to your workspace with the SpaceB Levitating Light Bulb Lamp. Defying gravity from every angle, this light source will renew your belief in magic. Spoiler alert: the magic is actually in the base which comes in the inconspicuous form of a book. The Levitating Light Bulb Lamp uses electromagnets to keep the bulb balanced and floating in mid-air.

Comfort Thermometer With Impressive LED Display

A frequent early project for someone learning to use a microcontroller such as an Arduino board involves hooking up a temperature sensor and an LCD display to make a digital thermometer. Not many components are involved, but it provides a handy practical introduction to interfacing peripherals. Take for instance the thermometer project Comfort Thermometer Display. It takes the form of an Ikea Ribba frame inset with 517 LEDs arranged as a central set of seven segment displays, a ring of bar graphs, and an outer ring of RGB LEDs.

KMC installing more than 1,200 solar lamps

The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has started installing solar street lamps in the streets under the public-private partnership (PPP) model. As per an agreement reached with the KMC on October 19, BK Traders and Suppliers started installation works from last week. A total of 1,285 solar lamps will be installed across the metropolis in three phases. This will add to 1,600 solar-powered street lamps that the KMC has already installed in various parts of the Capital.

Lower Cost of LEDs Reduce Profitability for Manufacturing Landscape

Although residential and commercial industries are widely adopting energy-efficient light emitting diodes (LEDs), the drop in LED prices is driving away manufacturers because of decreased profitability, dramatically dislocating and restructuring the solid-state lighting marketplace, says a new National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report. Since the last Academies report in 2013 that assessed the state of solid-state lighting -- which uses diodes, a semiconductor technology, as an alternative light source to incandescent bulbs -- the annual residential installation of LED bulbs has increased sixfold between 2012 and 2014, from 13 million to 78 million.

HoloLamp brings you augmented reality without glasses

HoloLamp debuted its augmented reality projector system today at CES 2017, the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas. The projector makes it possible for augmented reality to interact with real objects, and no special glasses or smartphone are required to see its animated images. The result looks a lot like that scene in Star Wars where Chewbacca and R2-D2 are playing a board game and C-3PO implores the droid to “Let the wookie win.”

Experts Warn Of Health Risks As Chicago Switches To LED Streetlights

Chicago officials say 270,000 old streetlights will be replaced with energy efficient LED lights over the next four years. But health and environmental advocates warn of problems if the wrong LEDs are chosen. Last month, the city rolled out seven pilot sites to demonstrate the proposed lights and gather public comments. But the comment period was set to end on Dec. 31, just two and a half weeks after it began. After complaints from residents, and questions from WBEZ, the city agreed to extend the comment period to Jan. 9.

Espen Unveils T8 LEDs

Espen Technology announced an extension to its Flex line of AC-Direct double ended LED T8 internal drive lamps. The new LEDs are expected to be available by the end of January. They will come in four configurations: 9W 2-foot; 12W 3-foot and 14W and 18W 4-foot. Both ends of the lamps accept 120 to 277 VAC and are offered in 3500K, 4000K and 5000K CCTs. Outputs ranges from 1100 lumens to 2200 lumens, depending upon wattage.

Heng Balance Lamp boasts unique magnetic switch mechanism

If you fancy the idea of the lamps in your home being a conversation starter in addition to a light source, you may want to check out this Kickstarter project, the Heng Balance Lamp. A nifty lamp with a unique selling point, it boasts an innovative switch mechanism featuring two balls with embedded magnets. By moving the balls together, the magnets attract one another and, when close enough, trigger the switch that turns on the lamp. Conversely, when the balls lose connection, the bottom one falls away with gravity and the circuit is broken.

Hull gets $143,575 from state for LEDs

Hull is among 29 Massachusetts communities to receive a share of $11.4 million in state money to replace their street lights with LED lighting. Hull Municipal Light received a $143,575 grant, which covers approximately 38 percent of the cost of converting all 1,100 municipal street lights to the energy-efficient lighting, according to a press release from the town. The money will be used to help pay for new LED fixtures, long-life photo electric controllers, and wireless controllers for the fixtures, the release said.

LEDs and power electronics learn from each other

In 2015, all economic indicators pointed to continued market growth for both industries, power electronics and LEDs, especially with IGBT modules boosted by EV/HEV industry and general lighting applications, a killer application for LEDs since 2012, observes market research firm Yole Développement. To support this growth and answer the thermal management needs in power electronics and LED, lot of innovative technologies are emerging. According to Yole, one of the most impressive technical developments is the convergence of thermal management for both sectors, LED and power electronics, particularly the materials used for thermal management.

Sylvania announces Bluetooth-connected Apple HomeKit lightbulbs that don't require a hub

Later this year, Sylvania will release a new multicolor HomeKit-enabled Bluetooth lightbulb, allowing users to control the lights in their home without the need for a separate hub. Sylvania's LEDVANCE lineup will add a "Smart Multicolor A19" bulb that is easily controlled via Siri, as well as Apple's Home app included in iOS 10. All users will need to do is screw in the Bluetooth-enabled bulb, sync it with the Home app, and start controlling their lights.