lighting
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Philips hue: the 'world's smartest' LED lightbulb that saves you time during Red Alerts
Historically, altering the lighting color of a room required draping a gossamer-thin cloth over a lamp or buying a new bulb from the store. Philips has sought to solve that most taxing of first-world problems with the hue, a smartphone-controlled LED bulb that can cycle through shades at your whim. As well as block colors, you can use photos to create palette and can control the units even when away from home. It'll be an Apple Store exclusive from October 30th, with individual units setting you back $59 (£49, €59) and three-bulb introduction pack with a wireless bridge for $199 (£179, €199). If that seems a little steep, just console yourself in the knowledge that it's a thousand times more useful than other lighting devices we've seen this year.
Light up Greenwave Reality's smart bulbs with your iPhone
Here's how it goes: I say, "It feels like we're living in the future," and you all yell, "So where are the jetpacks?" There are plenty of missing pieces from the Jetsons-style view of the future, but at least the smart home -- controllable, reactive, energy-efficient and easy to use -- is on its way. One of the companies trying to push that vision forward is lighting vendor Greenwave Reality [their site is a little overwhelmed right now]. Founded by veterans of Cisco's consumer networking business, Greenwave has spent the past few years developing products intended for distribution by European utilities, and it's now rolling out its Connected Lighting Solution for homeowners in the EU with certification for the US market as well. With the Greenwave kit -- not sold directly, but through distribution and utility partners -- and your iPhone or iPad, it will be simple to set up a custom lighting environment with up to 500 devices. Rather than controlling lighting at the switch or outlet level, the CLS actually takes the network smarts all the way down to the bulb. The LED diffuse bulbs fit standard sockets and (like CFL and other efficient bulbs) deliver the equivalent light of incandescents with a fraction of the power consumption. Unlike conventional bulbs, however, each of these sports a chipset from Dutch semiconductor giant NXP, known for making near-field communications (NFC) modules for cellphones and tablets. The NXP module wirelessly connects to other bulbs and to a remote control via a JenNet-IP mesh, an ultra-low-power IPv6 wireless network. Disconnecting a bulb makes no difference to the overall health of the mesh; the remaining bulbs autoconfigure and keep talking. The wireless chipset sips a tiny amount of power, so it doesn't impair the energy efficiency of the bulbs (the product is now Energy Star certified for the US market). The heart of the JenNet mesh is the Greenwave wireless controller, which connects to your home network to bridge your WiFi to the lighting WLAN and provide anywhere, anytime access to your lights. As soon as a bulb is powered on for the first time, it begins to dim up and down to indicate that it's ready for setup. You can use the iOS app to control the light individually, or bind it with other bulbs in a fixture. Turn on a whole room or just one lamp; it's simple with either the app or the hard remote. The app works in your house or anywhere in the world, letting you turn on and off lights when you're on the road. Of course, you can still use your conventional light switches in a pinch; flick off and back on two times to override the soft controls. With custom dimming timers and sunrise/sunset awareness, the automation possibilities of the CLS are impressive -- create a preset for early mornings, late romantic lights or whatever look you like. You can even take pictures of your lighting fixtures to customize the iOS app controls if you want. When combined with the company's Smart Home Platform, the automation opportunities extend beyond lighting to climate controls, security, appliances and more. Greenwave's technology has received enthusiastic support from the IPSO Alliance, the trade group working to deliver "the Internet of Things" for networked device awareness. Sounds great, so when and where can you buy it? The company's iOS app is in the App Store now, but as for the hardware, you're somewhat at the mercy of distribution partners at utilities that buy into Greenwave's approach. CEO Greg Memo describes Greenwave as "the brand behind the brand" for connected home lighting, so you're most likely to see "powered by Greenwave Reality" somewhere on the package rather than on its own. Exact prices will vary by region and provider, but with Energy Star rebates and other incentives the company expects bulbs to be available for around US$20 or less; a four-bulb kit with remote and wireless controller (one-time purchases) will come in at or under US$200. That may sound steep, but the company estimates that replacing 10 bulbs with LED Greenwave bulbs (a net cost of $320 counting the controller) will save about $150 in energy costs in the first year of operation vs. incandescent bulbs... and the LED bulbs have a projected lifespan of 10 years or more. Check out the Greenwave Reality video below for more on the Connected Lighting Solution.
GreenWave Reality ships WiFi-aware light bulbs that flick on through motion and smartphones
We've seen connected light bulbs before, some more sophisticated than others, but they're rarely as straightforward as GreenWave Reality's just-shipping Connected Lighting Solution. Eco-friendly LED bulbs in the lineup include support for WiFi and are immediately controllable from a smartphone or tablet as soon as they're receiving power. Basics controls like group presets and timed lighting are just the start; if you're not worried about leaving anyone in the dark, the bulbs can respond to motion sensors and only illuminate the rooms that need attention. And while the intelligence isn't new in itself, GreenWave would argue that sheer accessibility gives it an edge, with electric utilities in Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden skipping the retail middleman by selling directly. Don't despair if you live in the US: the linked-up lighting is cleared for eventual use by Americans who'd like to save both energy and a trip to the light switch.
MooresCloud Light runs Linux, puts LAMP on your lamp (video)
Yes, we'll admit that we borrowed that pun in the title. MooresCloud founder Mark Pesce's Xzibit reference is still a very apt description of the Light, his company's Linux-based LED lamp. The Australian team's box-shaped illumination runs the open OS (including a LAMP web server stack) on an integrated mini PC with an accelerometer and WiFi. The relative power and networking provide obvious advantages for home automation that we've seen elsewhere, but it's the sheer flexibility of a generalized, web-oriented platform that makes the difference: the Light can change colors based on photos or movement, sync light pulses to music and exploit a myriad of other tricks that should result from a future, web-based app store. When and how the Light launches will depend on a Kickstarter campaign to raise $700,000 AUD ($717,621 US) starting on October 16th, although the $99 AUD ($101 US) cost is just low enough that we could see ourselves open-sourcing a little more of the living room. At least, as long as we don't have to recompile our lamp kernel before some evening reading.
Ikea to sell only LED-based lighting by 2016, wants to be greener than your sofa bed
While some wouldn't necessarily associate Ikea with eco-friendliness given that its business revolves around plywood, the furniture chain has just staked out a clearer position as a green pioneer. It's phasing out sales of all lighting that isn't LED-based by 2016, making it the first major home furnishing shop with a US presence to entirely banish less efficient illumination. Ikea also wants to take advantage of its economies of scale with the "lowest price on the market" for LEDs, which could shake up an industry where anything beyond incandescent technology usually carries a premium. We'll still have some time to wait for the full switch, but the company at least plans to practice what it preaches by replacing over a million store lights with LEDs -- so those of us with no light replacement plans can still feel as green as the Beddinge Håvet we're taking home. [Image credit: Rainchill, Wikipedia]
BenQ: We're not going back to cellphones and laptops, but check out our luxury lamps!
There was a time when the BenQ brand could be seen on laptops and mobile phones, but nowadays you'd have to turn your eyes to projectors, LCD monitors and cameras (in select markets) in order to spot it. If you're in China, you might have even come across the gigantic BenQ Medical Center in Nanjing. That's right, a hospital; and later this year BenQ will be opening another one in Suzhou, which is where the company's Chinese operation is based. Interesting times, right? But as to whether BenQ has any intention to re-enter the two mobile markets in the near future, the answer is a firm "no."
Insert Coin: Luminode dimmer switch runs on a mesh network, learns to light up our lives (video)
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. Just a simple light switch, you say? Look closer. Think Automatic's Luminode dimmer switch hides both a processor and a mesh network connection that lets every switch in the home coordinate with each other. A multi-tap system makes it possible to link multiple lights together without extra wiring or complex programming, but that's just the start: it's possible to create "scenes" of predefined lighting levels and, with a USB adapter, hook up to home automation systems (including Think Automatic's own) that can learn usage habits, track energy consumption or simply let us control the array with our smartphones. The platform uses raw XML to communicate and already talks to GE, Insteon and Stargate hardware -- all without requiring a huge grid of buttons or displays. Development of the Luminode is very nearly done after six-plus years of work in Seattle. The hardware is fundamentally ready and just needs the Kickstarter project to finish its FCC and UL testing along with the obligatory mass production. The hope is to start delivering switches in January as well as integrate more closely with non-lighting elements in the future. Pledge levels are dictated almost exclusively by volume: $130 is what it takes to get a basic two-switch kit, $260 will add the USB adapter along with an extra switch, and successive levels scale all the way up to a 50-switch, $3,000 kit for large homes. Think Automatic has a relatively low $35,000 threshold to meet its Kickstarter funding, but it only has 13 days left to go. If you like the idea of advanced lighting that doesn't require an advanced appreciation of the user manual to understand, now's a good time to click the source link and make it happen.
ARM forms UK group to foster an Internet of Things, put 50 billion devices online by 2020
ARM isn't content with dominating the mobile space. It's been by the far the most vocal about an Internet of Things where everything is connected -- and to make that happen, it just established an industry forum in the UK that it hopes will establish common ground for all those internet-linked light bulbs, refrigerators and thermostats. Home energy firm Alertme, cloud-aware sensing outfit AquaMW, lighting maker EnLight and white space wireless guru Neul will start meeting with ARM from August 24th onwards to hash out our automated, eco-friendly future. There's a certain urgency in this for the chip designer: it expects 50 billion devices on the grid by 2020. With IDC estimating a billion new connected devices just in 2011, the clock on that connected device transition is ticking very loudly.
Insert Coin: The Kick, an iPhone-controlled camera light
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. Lighting in photography or movie making is often the reserve of pros who can either afford a studio's worth of equipment or who have the know-how to generate just the right effect with one light. Rift's Kick light mostly tackles the latter by using a control you (probably) already know how to use: your iPhone. If you opt for the WiFi-toting Kick Plus model, an iOS app can control one or more lights for basics like brightness and color temperature -- but it really comes into its own when you want a dash of color or to record video. A Kick can sample color from a palette, a video or directly from the iPhone's camera; temporal effects like a lightning storm can spice up an amateur horror movie. If you're only looking for a straightforward white light to back up production for a traditional camera, the Kick Basic will let you control the rudiments from buttons on the light itself. Unless you're just looking for a sticker reflecting your support, every pledge tier is directly tied to buying a Kick light in advance. Early buyers can put down $89 to get a Kick Basic in black or white, or $139 for the Kick Plus. The more you buy, the cheaper it gets: $180 or $280 will land a pair of Basic of Plus lights, and stores can pay $4,300 or $6,500 to get a hefty 50 units of either model. If you're starting on a small-scale movie production or just have to have properly-lit subjects for street photography, head on over to the Kickstarter source link and chip in.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Jake Dyson's lamp, wooden light bulbs and weed-killing lasers
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. This week Inhabitat has been reporting live from New York Design Week, where we've witnessed countless innovative green designs from around the world. To kick things off, we were pretty impressed with this desk lamp designed by Jake Dyson (son of the vacuum god) that extends the life of its LED bulbs by a whopping 37 years. Also in the category of "bright shiny things we love" is QisDesign's Aurelia lamp, which bears a striking resemblance to a glowing jellyfish. We were also dazzled by UM Project's collection of retro, robot-inspired lamps, Light & Contrast's cute LED flower lights, and we were absolutely floored by Alessandro Jordão's larger-than-life LEGO chair. Can't get enough of NY Design Week? Check out all of our favorite green designs from this year's shows. Continuing with the topic of innovative green lighting technology, artist Ryosuke Fukusada has created the impossible: a glowing wooden light bulb. Confused? The light was created using a technique called Rokuro, and it consists of an LED light bulb wrapped with a very thin layer of wood. When the bulb is turned on, it illuminates the grain of the wood. As Fukusada's creation demonstrates, LED lighting technology has taken some incredible strides recently, and we took some time to round-up 24 of our all-time favorite green lamps that look great with LED bulbs.
Panasonic sends 100,000 LEDs down Tokyo river, mates tech with tradition (updated with video!)
If you'd been by the shore of the Sumida River in central Tokyo this past weekend, you would have noticed that it was glowing a distinct shade of blue. That's because Panasonic decided to kick off the first-ever Tokyo Hotaru (fireflies) festival by sending 100,000 EVERLED light bulbs down the river, both to mimic fireflies as well as to pay homage to a Japanese tradition of floating candles on the water. Before you cringe too much at the thought of the environmental impact, rest assured that Panasonic minimized the footprint of its aquatic LED parade. All the bulbs ran on solar power (presumably, charged during the day) that kept Evolta batteries fed inside, and the entire lot was scooped up in a large net afterwards. We love the exhibition as a large-scale demo of sustainable lighting -- you may just want to avoid fishing along the Sumida's shoreline for awhile in case you catch a straggler. Update: We've found a video of this spectacular event -- check it out right after the break.
Looking at the brighter Moria in Lord of the Rings Online
Does Lord of the Rings Online's Moria benefit from a brighter night-light? The folks over at A Casual Stroll to Mordor went on the test server to investigate just how different the underground zones look now that Turbine's gone back to give the area additional lighting effects. The fansite examines four different locales on both the live and test server and took screenshots to document the changes. The Great Delving, Silvertine Lodes, The Waterworks, and Durin's Way are the stops on the tour, and out of all of them, Silvertine is the most noticeably brighter. "While playing, I can say that I do feel like it's easier to see," Goldenstar writes. "I don't know if I would fall into 'it's too bright' category. It still feels like Moria to me." A revamp to half of Moria is planned with Update 7. Head on over and check out the differences for yourself!
Philips' L Prize-winning light bulb goes on sale Sunday, priced between $20 and $60
It's a little strange crowning a "winner" when only a single company enters the contest, but that's exactly what happened during the L Prize celebration in August of last year. Philips was the only outfit to take the US Department of Energy up on its offer, earning some $10 million to develop what might go down as the most radically designed, wildly expensive bulb your table lamp has ever seen. That said, the victorious bulb is a big fan of Ma Earth (and her of him), using just 10 watts of energy while outputting light similar to that of a 60 watt incandescent. It'll hit retailers like Home Depot this Sunday (Earth Day) for around $50 a pop, while some utility companies may subsidize 'em in an effort to hit the magical $20 price point. Hey, no one said saving energy would be remotely affordable, right?
NEC adds speakers to lightbulb, Edison wishes he'd had the idea (video)
NEC Lighting has produced a union 'twixt wireless speaker and LED ceiling light that's controllable with an Android phone. You can rock out to your favorite tunes over Bluetooth at the same you play with the brightness and color temperature of the light. Or you can switch to one of three presets that offer active, natural or relaxed light and sound to permeate your living room. The company's hoping to have it perfected in time for the end of this year and if your imagination can't stretch to picture a singing light fitting, then head on past the break to see it in action.
NetLED WiFi-enabled, app-controllable, LED light tubes come to Japan
Because deep down, all you've ever really wanted are smartphone adjustable WiFi-LED light tubes controlled by a remote server out in the ether. Snarkiness aside, that's exactly what Japan's Net LED Technology Corporation has done with a lighting system it lovingly calls NetLED. The setup isn't for frugal types as, before even purchasing lights, you'll need to plunk down 60,000 yen (around $780) for a netLED router that serves as an intermediary between those fixtures and the company's remote server. The addition of that hardware enables the 19,800 yen (around $260) WiFi-equipped 40W LED arrays to be monitored and adjusted remotely via a web browser or an iPhone app. And, if WiFi tubes are too rich for your blood, each WiFi-toting fixture can be paired with up to three cheaper WiFi-less slaves that cost 14,000 yen (around $182). It's complex and pricey stuff, yet the company estimates you'll cut energy consumption by half after you amass 200 units. Those brave enough to find out, can take the plunge February 20th when it all goes on sale -- just let us know how you fare, cool? In the meantime, get up close and personal with a shot of the light emitters themselves after the break.
Luminch One: an Arduino lamp you control with the wave of a hand (video)
A DIY lamp may not sound like the most thrilling project on Earth, but the Luminch One is special. Not only does this hand-made light from Francisco Castro provide illumination -- the most important function of any lamp -- but it does so while looking beautiful and providing a level of interactivity missing from most household lighting solutions. Underneath the pixelated-looking paper shade is an LED bulb controlled by an Arduino hooked up to an IR sensor. Simply wave your hand over the top to turn it on and off. You can also control the brightness by holding your hand above the stylized beacon momentarily to engage the dimmer, then moving your hand up and down to set your preferred lumen level. Check out the video after the break and head on over to the source for complete build instructions.
Flex Lighting's LED film will brighten your e-reader, mood (video)
The slogan pretty much says it all: Flex Lighting has developed a new front light LED film that could drastically change the way you interact with your e-reader. According to the Chicago-based company, this film is part of a new lighting system that promises to bring smooth, nighttime reading to E Ink displays everywhere. Flex Lighting's setup is rather simple, consisting of nothing more than a single LED and a thin layer of film, laminated onto a device's reflective screen. At a thickness of just 50 micron, the film essentially acts as a light guide, spreading the LED's beams across a reader's display and creating a "soft glow" that many predecessors have thus far failed to replicate. The folks over at the eBook Reader managed to get their hands on a brief demo video, in which the system performs rather impressively. See it in action for yourself, after the break.
Samsung introduces Advanced LED light bulbs, preps for zombie apocalypse
Samsung is going to make sure your light bulbs use as little energy as possible, last literally decades and sort of look like a heat sink to boot. The company, which just released its Advanced LED Light Bulbs for the US, has put forth the A19, the PAR and the MR16, each bulb being designed for a specific purpose. The AR19, which is engineered to replace conventional incandescent bulbs, is dimmable and can shine directionally from vanity lights, wall sconces, assorted lamps and more. The PAR, which is also dimmable, is designed with a variable beam angle between 25 and 40 degrees in mind and slated around track and recessed lighting. Finally, the MR16 Bulb is designed to be used in recessed, vanity, and track lighting and arrives in two different base types with adjustable brightness levels. Samsung has priced the bulbs from $19.98 all the way up to $59.98 with a life expectancy between 27 and 36 years; they're currently available at your local Lowe's location, although if Philips gets wind of it, that could change post-haste.
Samsung breakthrough could turn your window pane into a big ol' LED
Samsung's quest for transparency won't end with laptops, apparently. Today, the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology announced that its engineers have successfully created "single crystalline Gallium Nitride on amorphous glass substrates" -- an achievement that would allow the manufacturer to produce jumbo-sized LEDs from normal glass, including window panes. Samsung says this scaled-up approach will allow them to lower production costs relative to most LED manufacturers, which rely on sapphire, rather than glass substrates. And, whereas most Gallium Nitride (GaN) LEDs on the market measure just two inches in size, Sammy's technique could result in displays about 400 times larger. "In ten years, window panes will double as lighting and display screens, giving personality to buildings," a Samsung spokesperson told the Korea Herald. Unfortunately, however, it will likely be another ten years before the technology is ready to hit the market. Until then, we'll just have to do our late night window coding the old fashioned way. [Image courtesy of Columbia Pictures / The New York Times]
Rohm and Lumiotec create $450 OLED Hanger lamp, we go hands-on (video)
Four hundred and fifty dollars. Made out to Lumiotec, please. Really, that's all you need to know -- this tiny purposeless OLED lamp costs nearly half a grand. But hot damn does it look good. If you have the cash and don't mind shelling it over, Lumiotec's OLED Hanger lamp is a mighty cool gadget to own. Until you realize that you're not really sure what to do with it. Do you hang it in a closet? Do you hang it over the door? Can you hang it anywhere at all? It is a hanger, after all. Even representatives from Rohm, which manufacturers the OLED panel used in the Hanger, were unable to explain the lamp's purpose at the company's CEATEC booth. Some variation of "use your imagination" was the final response. Well, our imagination has concluded that we'll pass on the Hanger, but we'd like a few dozen of those gorgeous OLED panels, please (we've already set aside several hundred square feet of wall space). If you're still into the Hanger, we can confirm that it's not only bright, but also very thin and very light. The panel gives off roughly the same amount of light as a 60-watt bulb, yet it consumes just 9.6 watts of power. Sadly, that doesn't mean it will eventually pay for itself in electricity cost savings, since, again, you're still paying $450 for what's essentially a (very slick) light bulb. We'd be far more impressed if the Hanger were more portable. You'll have many feet of cord to work with, but you'll still be tethered to an outlet -- there's no flat battery magic implemented here. These are available now in limited quantities, if you're ready to pull out the checkbook and sign on the dotted line. Or, if you'd rather spend that dough on a truckload of traditional fixtures, you can get your Hanger fix for free in the video after the break.%Gallery-135774%
