Latest LED Technology and Trends in the LED Industry

Although many industries are making great strides when it comes to new technology and trends, the LED industry is certainly amongst the leaders. Over the last decade, the LED industry has experienced tremendous growth and change, with new applications, increasing efficiencies and lower costs throughout, particularly in automotive LED lighting solutions. For a prototype manufacturing company, this creates great opportunities to innovate and integrate the latest LED advancements into their designs, enhancing both product performance and development processes.

New LED Lighting Technology

The following are a few examples of recent updates in LED technology, including advancements in automotive LED lighting solutions.

• Traditionally, LED lighting systems have required external circuit board drivers capable of converting the system electricity supply into a drive current suitable for operating the LED and thus producing visible light from the diode in a stable fashion. Excitingly, there are new products emerging, which allow external drivers to be removed from the design equation. In their place are DC LED chips that handle all the power requirements for the LED directly on the chip. This allows more compact packaging and a host of new product applications. Additionally, light output relative to cost continues to increase across the industry.

• New LED systems with dynamic beam spread without moving parts have been displayed at recent trade shows. This provides opportunities for applications requiring custom beam control.

• Another development is in new manufacturing processes to make arrays of LEDs, which can be useful in products.  As an example, a Finland research center has created a flexible in-molded LED foil using a roll-to-roll type process. This achievement helps demonstrate that a roll-to-roll process is suitable for manufacturing flexible LED displays that contain printed electronics.  This also has potential to dramatically cut costs in this type of product.

• Finally, in an exciting development, Li-Fi, which is like Wi-Fi with the exception that light from LEDs is used by modulating the light on and off at high rates creating a data network. This has the potential of being useful for communications in electro-magnetic sensitive areas as well as potentially having a very broad capacity spectrum for data and very high data transmission rates. This industry lighting technology does depend on visible light and thus cannot pass through walls; so it assumed that its role might fit best in home and architectural networks where networked lighting could be placed room to room. This product is currently moving out of the research phase. Development of industry standards and actual commercialization efforts are underway around the globe in a number of organizations.

Automotive LED Lighting Trends:

Without question, LED’s are taking an ever-stronger presence in the automotive industry:

• The automotive industry in general has expanded its use of LED lighting across all of its car lines, not just the premium models, as had been the case only a few years ago. A visit to any recent auto shows demonstrated an exciting and varied use of LED based lighting, with LEDs utilized for styling and functional effects in both rear and forward lighting. Likewise, LED’s have become omnipresent in interior lighting applications, creating new interior space ambiance, passenger ergonomic safety, as well as the advantage of long life without bulb changes needed.  

• In advanced forward lighting, new exciting adaptive driving beam headlights reduce glare while optimizing illumination for the driver. These systems often use an array of LEDs, which are controlled by forward sensing technology. A microcontroller dims those LEDs in the array that may cause glare to an oncoming driver (or vehicles you are following) while effectively keeping high beams on for other areas of the roadway, adding to driver safety. These systems are approved and now in limited use in Europe. Industry standards are still being finalized in the US, but these systems have great future potential.

The integration of rapid prototyping in the automotive industry has become a driving force in shaping automotive LED lighting trends. This innovative approach, utilizing techniques like 3D printing and CAD, grants designers the flexibility to create intricate and customized LED lighting solutions, enhancing aesthetics and functionality. Rapid prototyping accelerates development cycles, resulting in quicker market releases of high-performance LED products. Moreover, it contributes to cost-efficiency and offers increased personalization options to cater to the demand for personalized vehicles. In conclusion, rapid prototyping is reshaping the automotive LED lighting landscape, fostering innovation, and enhancing the overall driving experience.

Internet access in homes and companies by this innovative technology using LED lights.

Researchers have found a better approach to empower quicker information transmissions through light-radiating diode (Drove) bulbs. Rather than setting up a Wi-Fi switch, this innovation will permit clients to interface their homes and workplaces to quicker web through lights.

In an explanation, an academic administrator at the College of Surrey's Cutting edge innovation Establishment and the lead comparing creator of the review, Dr Wei Zhang said: "In this market expenses and similarity are much of the time focused on over information transmission speed and researchers are searching for elective ways of diminishing energy utilization per nibbled and further develop minimization while at the same time dealing with working on the speed of information association."

Researchers have found a better approach to empower quicker information transmissions through light-radiating diode (Drove) bulbs. Rather than setting up a Wi-Fi switch, this innovation will permit clients to interface their homes and workplaces to quicker web through lights.

In an explanation, an academic administrator at the College of Surrey's Cutting edge innovation Establishment and the lead comparing creator of the review, Dr Wei Zhang said: "In this market expenses and similarity are much of the time focused on over information transmission speed and researchers are searching for elective ways of diminishing energy utilization per nibbled and further develop minimization while at the same time dealing with working on the speed of information association."

he innovation was found while exploring how to deliver high velocity photonic sources utilizing metal-halide perovskites. Researchers found that semiconductors, when incorporated with LEDs, showed fantastic optoelectronic properties and minimal expense handling techniques.

During this review, scientists were likewise ready to accomplish gadget adjustment transfer speeds of up to 42.6 MHz and information rates over 50 Mbps. At the point when further investigated, the review proposed that the data transfer capacity might surpass gigahertz levels.

"We have taken a colossal jump forward and shown how metal-halide perovskites could give an expense effective and strong answer for cause LEDs which to can possibly build their transmission capacities into the gigahertz levels. The experiences acquired from this examination will without a doubt shape the fate of information correspondence," Dr Zhang noted.

He additionally noticed that the innovation could open up new ways for progression in optoelectronic advancements. Hao Wang, co-first creator at the College of Cambridge, said that the examination is the first of its sort to make sense of the systems behind accomplishing high velocity perovskite LEDs.

"The capacity to accomplish arrangement handled perovskite producers on silicon substrates additionally prepares for their joining with miniature gadgets stages, introducing new open doors for consistent coordination and headway in the field of information correspondences," Wang proceeded.

Citing Health Concerns, Some Cities Consider Dimmer LED Streetlights

 In the last several years, New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Seattle and other U.S. cities have installed high-intensity, white LED streetlights. In all, at least 13 percent of outdoor lighting is now LED, and many communities that haven’t yet made the switch are rushing to do so. But health concerns, heightened by a recent warning by the American Medical Association (AMA), are giving pause to some local officials, spurring them to consider less-intense LED alternatives. Honolulu, Phoenix and smaller cities in Arizona, California, Florida and Massachusetts are among those who are taking the health warnings seriously.

Cree revamps entire LED line of better bulbs

Cree, Inc. announces a completely new portfolio of next generation LED bulbs aimed at delivering better light experiences for consumers. The new bulb portfolio consists of 25 new products, offering better light quality, better dimming, better lifetime, better warranty and better pricing to deliver on the true promise of LED technology to make lighting better than it was before.

“Cree is committed to innovation and unlocking the true potential of LED technology,” said Betty Noonan, Cree chief marketing officer and general manager, consumer lighting. “Many new LED products fail to live up to the promise of LED technology; shouldn’t you choose a better bulb when it will live in your house for decades?  Cree believes it’s now more important than ever to give consumers a better choice.”

Notable features in the new bulbs include superior lifetimes, with most projected to last 22+ years and some up to 32 years.  Color rendition is improved, with smoother, quieter dimming to levels as low as 1 percent.  Cree’s market-leading “Candlelight Dimming,” available in the new candelabra bulb, mimic’s a true candle flame with a warmer 1800K color when dimmed.

The new Cree bulbs meet or surpass the requirements for ENERGY STAR product certification and are covered by a 10 year 100 percent satisfaction guarantee – one of the strongest warranties in the industry. The new bulb portfolio includes new A-lamps, BR lamps, PAR lamps and Candelabra lamps, as well as a new series of recessed downlight retrofit products.

Achieving Optimum LED Performance With Quantum Dots

The invention of blue LEDs and the subsequent rapid rate of development of new phosphor and down-converting technologies have enabled the phenomenal growth of all LEDs in general lighting applications. White LEDs initially employed the use of a blue LED combined with a single phosphor with broad yellow emission. However, the light quality provided by this relatively simple solution was less than satisfactory, particularly in the red part of the visible spectrum. But more recently, new phosphors and phosphor combinations (green-yellow plus red) have been developed to provide a higher quality of light. While these advancements afford a significant improvement over previous offerings, phosphor technologies have yet to deliver desirable white light with rich color rendering ability along with the energy efficiency typically attributed to LEDs.

Infrared LED revenue growing faster than overall IR components

Increased adoption of biometrics security in mobile phones, close-circuit television and other consumer applications spurred revenue growth in the global market for infrared LEDs from $201.5m in 2014 to $241.4m in 2015, according to Jamie Fox, principal analyst, LEDs and Lighting, at IHS Markit. While infrared LEDs grew 19.8% year-on-year in 2015, the overall infrared components market fell by 9%. Osram, Everlight and Vishay were the leading suppliers. 

Common infrared LED that emits infrared rays has the same appearance with visible light LED. Its appropriate operating voltage is around 1.4v and the current is generally smaller than 20mA. Current limiting resistances are usually connected in series in the infrared LED circuits to adjust the voltages, helping the LEDs to be adapted to different operating voltages. 

An IR LED, also known as IR transmitter, is a special purpose LED that transmits infrared rays in the range of 760 nm wavelength. Such LEDs are usually made of gallium arsenide or aluminium gallium arsenide. They, along with IR receivers, are commonly used as sensors.

The appearance is same as a common LED. Since the human eye cannot see the infrared radiations, it is not possible for a person to identify whether the IR LED is working or not, unlike a common LED. To overcome this problem, the camera on a cellphone can be used. The camera can show us the IR rays being emanated from the IR LED in a circuit.

Measurement basics in LED thermal management

A successful LED design needs a balance of form and function to be a desirable luminaire with the right lumen output. Sounds simple enough, but these two requirements are often in conflict. When form trumps function, LEDs that are usually mounted onto a metal-clad PCB (MCPCB) as a module are all too often crammed together, creating a module with high-power density. If the device has not been designed to remove the heat from the LEDs effectively, there is a real risk of the LED overheating. As with any semiconductor, when LEDs overheat efficiency is reduced, light quality deteriorates, lifespan shortens and ultimately the LED can catastrophically fail.

Indian Bulb Maker Eveready Acquires Large Order from EESL

Indian LED manufacturer Eveready Industries acquired a large order of 1.3 million LED tube lights from the state-owned power company Energy Efficiency Services Ltd. (EESL), reported Business Standard.
The EESL order values an estimated INR 179.4 million (US $2.67 million).
“The company has obtained a letter of award from Energy Efficiency Services Ltd for design and supply of 20W external batten LED tube light on pan India basis,” stated Eveready in a press release.
EESL is a joint venture formed by Indian power companies NTPC Limited, PFC, REC, and Power Grid Corporation to implement energy efficiency projects, and also works as an energy services company. The organization is responsible for implementing India’s Domestic Efficient Lighting Program (DELP).
Everready is one of the leading manufacturers of batteries and flashlights, and sells more than 1.2 billion batteries and nearly 25 million flashlights. The company also makes LEDs, CFLs, and GLS lamps and other lighting products, small home appliances and tea.

Fujian achieves breakthrough in LED technology

Fujian province has seen the technological breakthrough of LED technologies for transparentfluorescent ceramic material that allows dense LED lights to concentrate on a small surface. The technology has been co-developed by Research on the Structure of Matter (FJIRSM) andFujian Zhongke Xinyuan Optoelectronics Technology Co Ltd. “With previous technologies, Chinese LED manufacturers were not able to produce largepower LED,” said Hong Moachun, academician at FJIRSM, “because when the light runs formore than 200 watts, the LED lights will produce too much heat on a small surface that coulddamage the light. Therefore, these LED lights are used only for ordinary lighting. ”

Nanocrystals speed up Wi-Fi-emitting LEDs

Communication technologies like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi operate on invisible radio waves, but transmitting data on wavelengths we can see might turn out to be more efficient and secure. Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have developed a nanocrystal that helps boost data speeds transmitted through a visible light LED up to 2 Gbps – while pleasantly lighting the room.

Communication technologies such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth operate on invisible radio waves, but it turns out, transmitting data on visible wavelengths may be more efficient and secure. A team of researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia developed a nanocrystal that helps boost data speeds transmitted through a visible light LED up to 2 Gbps while also lighting up the room.

Because just a fraction of the electromagnetic spectrum can be seen by the human eye, making use of those wavelengths could mean faster, safer wireless data systems. With so many wireless signals zipping around, certain frequencies can become clogged, and radio waves can interfere with sensitive equipment, such as those used for navigation or in hospitals. Visible-light communication (VLC) systems can help bypass these issues.
Currently VLC devices are based on LEDs, which use phosphorus to turn some of the blue light emitted by a diode into green and red. When combined, the colors form white light to comfortably light a room while also providing a wireless signal. But as you’re likely aware, this technique comes with limits.
“VLC using white light generated in this way is limited to about one hundred million bits per second,” said KAUST Professor of Electrical Engineering, Boon Ooi. However, a University of Virginia study reached 300 Mbps, and Siemens managed 500 Mbps. Pennsylvania State University has even hit 1.6 Gbps using invisible infrared light.
As for the researchers at KAUST, they’ve achieved 2 Gbps using visible light, converting the colored light into white using nanocrystals instead of phosphorus. At 8 nm long, the crystals are made of cesium lead bromide, and when hit by a blue laser, emit green light. An incorporated nitride phosphor emits red light, and the three colors combine to form the white, room-illuminating light that's comparable to that of existing LEDs.
In nanocrystals, the optical processes operate on a time-scale of about seven nanoseconds, meaning the optical emission of the light operates at a frequency of 491 MHz. This allows the data to be transmitted at 2 Gbps. Data is transferred through a series of flashes, undetected by the human eye, but clear to a receiving sensor.
The research was originally published in the journal ACS Photonics.

Smart LED Lights — Not the Brightest Bulbs Yet, but Getting Smarter

You enter a room, you flip a switch and the light comes on.
For more than 130 years, the oldest electronic technology has astoundingly remained largely unchanged — until the recent advent of the “smart” LED bulb.

Instead of flipping a switch, you whip out your smartphone or tablet to wirelessly, via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, turn your smart LED lights on or off. But that’s not the “smart” part. With the smart bulb app, you can schedule your lights to go on or off on a programmed schedule and, in some cases, change color or tone to suit or create a mood.
But let’s get back to that first “smart” bit. How, exactly, is whipping out your smartphone to turn your lights on or off easier — or “smarter” — than simply flipping a switch?
It isn’t. If you think about it, the technology may be cool, but the function is purely Rube Goldberg.
Smart bulbs sometimes make controlling your lights more confusing. If you turn on a smart LED from a wall switch or the lamp itself, your smart bulb app may not be able to turn it off — you have to complete the on/off cycle either from the wall/lamp switch or from the app, not one from Column A and one from Column B. This switch/app control issue multiplies if you have multiple smart LED bulbs and some are on and some are off.
Despite this annoyance, smart LED bulbs will probably catch on anyway. After all, the light bulb is still the universal sign of a brilliant idea, and brilliant ideas are exactly what some LED bulb engineers are hatching for the next generation of “smart” LED bulbs. And one brilliant idea may eliminate light switch and smartphone on/off control entirely.

Unlike ancient incandescent and cold fluorescent, LED bulbs do not use chemical processes to create light. LEDs are light-emitting diodes, and use solid-state circuitry to create illumination.
LED bulbs are essentially PCs in a socket. As such, an LED bulb is a tabula rasa, a blank slate for clever programmers and engineers to create something more than a simple illumination device. Product designers are drooling over the opportunity to incorporate capabilities into an LED bulb currently performed by separate devices.
For instance, there have been a handful of LED bulbs that double as either Wi-Fi or Bluetooth speakers. Sengled, a 10-year-old Chinese LED firm, is selling its Bluetooth Sengled Pulse Solo and, early next year, the Wi-Fi Flex. Like the Pulse, Flex will have JBL speakers built into them, but also will be able to wirelessly access personal music libraries and Internet radio stations through Sengled’s iOS and Android app. Sengled also sells the Boost, a smart LED bulb with a built-in Wi-Fi repeater.

Sengled is adding more than speakers to LED bulbs. For instance, coming soon is the Sengled Snap. Essentially a DropCam in a bulb, Snap is an overhead flood with an integrated 140-degree wide-angle 1080p video camera.

A two-year-old Cambridge, Mass., startup called BeON is taking a more intriguing approach: A modular smart LED. Instead of a traditional bulb-shaped bulb — there’s no reason an LED bulb has to be bulb-shaped; it’s merely a matter of maintaining form familiarity — BeON has gone all Henry Moore on us. Its “bulbs” have a rectangular hole through their middle into which can be inserted specific function modules.
BeON’s first modular smart LED bulb product is the Home Protection System, a three-bulb kit with yellow modules with built-in microphones so the bulb can hear what’s going on around it and react. For instance, BeON’s LED lights can flash in a preprogrammed sequence if they hear the smoke alarm, CO2 alarm or the doorbell ring.
The BeONs also can supply four hours of emergency lighting in case of power outage, thanks to an integrated e-battery that charges whenever you turn your lamp on.
Along with speakers, cameras, Wi-Fi repeaters and microphones, it won’t be long before smart bulbs incorporate smoke and CO2 detectors, air fresheners, sonic pest repellents, cell signal boosters, or any other single or combination of heretofore dedicated-function devices.

There still remains the on/off-switch/app conundrum. If these LED bulbs are so smart and can include microphones, why can’t we just tell them to turn on or off?
You can, sort of. You can tell both the Hue and Insteon smart lights to turn on and off via new hubs that create separate connections to Apple’s HomeKit, Android’s Cortana and Amazon Echo’s Alexa voice-control systems. Just enunciate the appropriate command to one of these voice systems, and after a few seconds of communicating with their respective cloud intelligence, your lights come on or turn off.
But why should smart bulbs need a Cyrano? Soon they won’t. At the upcoming CES, Sengled will announce Sengled Voice, a Wi-Fi smart LED bulb with dual microphones and dual JBL speakers — essentially Siri, Cortana and Alexa in a socket. You’ll be able to speak to the Voice bulb to not only control its lighting, but get answers to questions, listen for alarming sounds such as breaking glass or crying babies, or perform other as-yet unspecified smart home tasks, all with no additional third-party system required.

Singles Day sales push down LED light bulb prices in China in November, says LEDinside

The global average price of 40W LED replacement light bulbs fell 3.4% on month to US$10.80 in November, while 60W counterparts saw a 3% drop to US$14.60.

LEDinside analyst Allen Yu said that the price decline for LED lighting products in November was more significant in China because of online promotional activities during the Singles Day sales. In the Europe and US markets, prices returned to downtrend during the same month after experiencing an uptick in October. As for China's LED package market, demand has been picking up compared with the third quarter but still lags far behind expectations. Currently, the downtrend in the China package market is caused mainly by the decline of mid- and high-power LED package products. The room for further price reduction is relatively smaller for standard LED package products.

LED package prices have fallen each month since the start of 2015, with decline being most noticeable in the standard package segment. Mid- and high-power LED package products are still seeing rapidly falling prices. In particular, more makers are producing 0.5W 2835 LED products due to rising demand. As a result, the average monthly decline of the products reached 3.3% in November and was responsible for the overall price drop for mid- and high-power LED package products. Yu pointed out that the present recovery of LED industry has not been as smooth as initially believed, and makers are still suffering low capacity utilization. In the short term, Yu expects price slump to persist in China's LED package market.

During November, 40W-equivalent LED light bulbs saw the steepest price decline in China as local lighting companies had lowered their prices in that regional market in response to Singles Day sales. The monthly decline in China thus reached 9.9%. Prices in the UK and Germany swung sharply downward after a significant recovery in October, with monthly declines respectively at 5.2% and 7.2%. In Japan, the monthly drop was 3.4% because some products were on promotion there.

As for the prices of 60W-equivalent LED light bulbs during November, monthly decline in China reached 7.9% due to local lighting companies cutting prices during the Singles Day sales. International lighting companies also substantially lowered their prices. In the UK, 60W-equivalent LED light bulbs suffered a relatively large monthly decline because of most of these products were promotion there as well. By contrast, prices in Germany and Japan fell 4% and 2.7%, respectively.

Japan Govt to promote LED lamps, ban fluorescents - Great News

Jiji Press TOKYO (Jiji Press)


The government plans to tighten its energy-efficiency standards for lamps to effectively ban production and imports of fluorescents and incandescents, informed sources said Thursday.
The move is aimed at promoting the replacement of such lamps with light-emitting diode ones, in an effort to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
According to the industry ministry, the adoption rate for LED lamps in Japan came to 9 percent in fiscal 2012, which ended in March 2013, while the government targets achieving almost 100 percent by fiscal 2030.
LED lamps are durable for longer periods of time than other lamps are, and their power consumption is about one eighth of that of incandescents.
But LED lamps are much more expensive. In large home electronics stores in the country, a 60-watt fluorescent bulb is usually priced at around ¥700, much lower than some ¥2,000 for an LED one.
Under the current “top runner” system, energy-saving requirements are set for each product category, based on the highest energy-efficient performance in each category.
LED and other lamps are treated separately in the system, but the government now plans to unify lamp categories so that only LED lamps can meet requirements for the unified category.
Details of the plan are expected to be drawn up by an industry ministry panel by the end of fiscal 2016.

New Buzzword "Li-Fi" 100 Times Faster Than "Wi-Fi"

 

But that may all change with the newly tested technology of "li-fi", which can achieve stable speeds up to 100 times faster than wi-fi. Well, scientists have just announced they have innovated a form of wireless computer communications that they claim to be 100 times faster than Wi-fi. The data was received by a binary code by flashing LED lights on and off by creating a morse code. The new wireless technology uses Visible Light Communication (VLC) or infra-red and near ultra violet spectrum.

BBC reports that Estonian start-up Velmenni recently completed the first real world test of visible light spectrum-based Wi-Fi, cleverly dubbed Li-Fi by Edinburgh University professor Harald Hass after first demonstrating the technology in a 2011 TED talk. Li-Fi might just be the next one.
"When a constant current is applied to an LED [light-emitting-diode] lightbulb, a constant stream of photons are emitted from the bulb which is observed as visible light. We're also performing a pilot project having a personal client where we're establishing a Lifi system to get into the Internet within their workplace space". "We only had to keep your micro-control board in front of the laptop screen (GUI) and the data was transferred wirelessly using visible light communication". Today, professionals took Li Fi out of the research for that first time, screening it in offices and professional situations. Because gentle can not pass through surfaces, think about it, that you don't have to be anxious about your annoying neighbour looking to compromise into your internet and stealing knowledge. Rather, the two systems may be applied together to accomplish secure and more effective systems. That address was delivered four years ago, and many people speculated that, like a lot of apparent revolutionary breakthroughs, Li-Fi would go the way of other "next big things" and not come to fruition.
But the technology also has its drawbacks - most notably the fact that it can not be deployed outdoors in direct sunlight, because that would interfere with its signal. Li-Fi is a bidirectional, fully networked wireless communication technology similar to Wi-Fi, which works at very high speed.

LEDs to light up Macon streets

 

Macon-Bibb county will soon replace all of its street light bulbs with brighter lights. They're called LED lights and county Commissioners approved Georgia Power's proposal to let them install more than 6,000 of them inside the former Macon city limits.

Lamp runs for 8 hours on one glass of water and some salt

 

Lighting is something that we take for granted in the developed world, but there are still many areas around the globe where people lack reliable access to light at night. They often use kerosene lamps, which contribute to indoor pollution and have to be refilled with oil regularly. Aisa Mijeno, an engineering professor who worked for years with Greenpeace Philippines, noticed during her work there that many indigenous people in the over-7,000 islands that make up the country were using kerosene lamps exclusively for lighting. The family she lived with there would have to climb down the mountain that they lived on and then walk an additional 30 km to the nearest town in order to get more oil to fuel their lamps.

LED Lamps to Surpass Traditional Lamps in Offices by 2019

  

The use of smart lighting in offices worldwide is set for an impressive growth in the next five years as LED lamps will overtake traditional lamps by 2019, according to a new report from IHS. Currently, smart lighting is used in only a minority of offices around the world but is found more commonly in developed countries such as the United States and Japan. However, in the coming years, revenue from LED lamps will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.4% during the 2014 to 2019 time frame, IHS says. This revenue growth will overtake traditional lamp revenue in offices by 2019.

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Folks !!!

Deeply regret for dis-connecting for long time.

Here- onwards will be in touch with you with latest news and happening in field of LED LIGHTING.

Keep in touch.

Respect to all and Enjoy the life !!!
 

Li-Fi will replace Wi-Fi

Almost everyone uses Wi-Fi every day and Bluetooth every so often. But these wireless technologies have a fatal flaw: they use radio waves to communicate. The problem with radio waves is that, although they offer decent speeds, they transmit data slowly, and the signal is often blocked or affected by equipment as simple as the microwave in your kitchen. However, a team of scientists are hard at work developing a new, extremely fast method of wireless communication, and it doesn’t use radio waves; it uses light from LED bulbs.

Light-based wireless communication, coined as Li-Fi by Harald Haas at a TED talk in 2011, is a method of internet connectivity that doesn’t use cables or radio waves, instead flickering the light from a special LED to transmit data just like your Wi-Fi adapter would. The technology is still being developed by researchers at the University of Edinburgh in the UK, but it already looks like it will be more effective and more secure than traditional radio-based communication.

Wi-Fi works by spewing out radio waves in all directions around your home or business from a wireless router. When your wireless device, such as a smartphone, detects the wireless radio waves, it connects to your wireless router, which then connects you to the Internet. The idea behind Li-Fi is almost identical, but instead of wireless radio waves being sent in all directions, it instead sends light shooting out to connect to your smartphone, laptop, or other devices. You wouldn’t even notice, but your LED lights would flicker at high speed, sending data all around your house.

The difference between Li-Fi and Wi-Fi though is that Li-Fi is much more secure. Li-Fi can only work when your device can detect the light being emitted by the Li-Fi router, meaning it will only work if you’re in the same room or area the light is being emitted. This means people passing by cannot connect and piggyback off of your Internet connection. And did we mention that it’s unaffected by RF-emitting equipment operating in the same room, such as a microwave or radio.

Li-Fi is also way faster; the latest Wi-Fi standard, 801.11ac, has a maximum possible speed of about 867 Megabits per second for a typical handheld. Li-Fi, meanwhile, can reach speeds up to 3.5Gbit/s per color – meaning a typical Red-Green-Blue (RGB) LED can emit speeds up to 10.5Gbit/s – more than 10 times faster than the latest Wi-Fi technology. These speeds offer a lot of potential for wireless connectivity.

What you also may not know is that light already is the most popular means to transmit data across long distances. Fiber optic cables send data as light through tiny strands of silicon. Fiber optics are the arteries of much of the modern internet, allowing fast transmissions of data around the world. Li-Fi uses light just as fiber optics do to transmit the information, but instead of maintaining it through the thin strand of fiber, it allows the light to spread out in all directions so devices all over the room can connect.

While it may be a few years before we see this technology in our homes, the potential is impressive. Even laboratory testing behind this new Li-Fi technology is showing great promise and speeds way beyond what Wi-Fi can handle in any real-world environment. If Li-Fi continues to perform with flying colors though, the idea of having any wired internet at home may soon become a distant memory.

Of course, this also means that if you want to watch your iPad in bed, you may need to keep the light on.

"FIPEL" Lights May Offer Alternative to "LED" - Myth or Truth ???

LEDs may seem to be the peak of efficient lighting technology, but they aren't perfect, and that doesn't mean that other technologies aren't being explored. Recently, scientists from Wake Forest University announced a new kind of light called FIPEL, which stands for "field-induced polymer electroluminescent." If it performs as promised, it offers several advantages over LED and compact fluorescent lights. With commercial development already under way, lights using this technology are reportedly going to be available to consumers in 2013.

Researchers behind the project are promoting it for its improved color properties, as well as avoiding the use of mercury or the "annoying buzz" in fluorescent lights. Of course, the old style T-12 fluorescent bulbs, and their associated magnetic ballasts (which were the kind that could develop a hum) are already being phased out, and means and methods for warming the light from LEDs have long been available.

This is not to say that there are no benefits from FIPEL lights. One disadvantage that most LEDs present is that they are point sources, so the light is very directional. FIPEL light comes from the entire surface (similar to the ESL light, another alternative to CFL or LED lights).

A review posted in Ars Technica reveals a number of weaknesses in the data available about the FIPEL light. Ars notes that the new light is "based on FIPEL technology," and not necessarily a proper FIPEL light. The article from Ars also dissects the numbers around FIPEL light as compared with other technologies, and finds it seriously wanting.

For instance, the light level of the test FIPEL had a luminance of 100 cd/sq meter, which is only a tiny fraction of the luminance of a light such as a fluorescent tube (27,000 cd/sq meter) or even the Moon (2,500 cd/sq meter). However, the photo attached to the press release and used in other articles about the technology (as well as this one) show something in the researchers' hands that is more than a little bit brighter than the lab space. So the numbers may not add up, but something would appear to be working. Furthermore, glare can be reduced by spreading the light over a wider area, so a larger area, lower luminance light source is not necessarily a bad thing.