Cities and cultures invariably craft ways to express their identity in visceral ways. The most revered of these public statements become a point of pride in the community and a compelling destination for visitors, according to a recent PSFK Labs article. Supported by the evolution of digital LED technology, we’ve witnessed a number of creative uses of light to achieve iconic status through blending elements of a culture with the unique deployment of light. These installations work to capture the permanence of a place and maintain ties to tradition, all while pointing to new and cutting edge technology and signaling a optimistic outlook of innovations still to come.

A recent article by PSFK labs explores the relationship between lighting products and human interaction. Could light be used to bridge two remote experiences? If so, what kind of stories could it tell? In a trend we are calling Remotely Connected, PSFK Labs explores how synced lighting experiences are helping bring to life the unique connections between people. With their ability to convey shared experiences, awareness or proximity, these lighting displays are being creatively deployed to evoke an emotional response between people.

In a collaboration project between Philips and Germany’s Hochschule Wismar Architectural Lighting students this year, 10 students designed an installation entitled "Light Beats." It is an exploration of the relationship between light and different cultures via several types of music. The lighting concept was implemented with innovative LED technology and with the support of the lighting partners, providing technical expertise and equipment. It's offered the opportunity to play with a translucent glass facade on two floors, a terrace, a footbridge and a glass facade to the ground floor.  

NliteN has just added the dimmable 2D-Lux™ Smart LED Disk (SLEDD) to its campaign on Indiegogo. The 2D-Lux SLEDD, a 60W-incandescent-replacement LED smart "bulb", adds an Atmel AVR microcontroller, USB interface, and hardware-expansion pins to the 2D-Lite™ LED Disk (Sept 4, 2013 PR here), bringing intelligence, programmability, additional hardware functions, and the ability for consumers to install, and run, light bulb apps, including smartphone control, at very low cost -- about the average price of "dumb", connectivity-incapable, LED bulbs at most retailers - US$ 25.

Lighting plays a vital role in today’s retail environments, maximizing shopping experiences and making merchandise appear its best. GE’s Infusion™ LED Module product line offers a versatile LED lighting solution that provides highly flexible LED lighting options critical for retailers who want to highlight certain products or create emphasis through a display.

Power management company Eaton today announced that its Cooper Lighting division has provided products and solutions to help Industrial Developments International (IDI), a privately held real estate company with offices across U.S., reduce energy costs at its Jurupa Valley, Calif., facility. By utilizing a range of exterior LED solutions, the company will achieve proper illumination while also realizing a total energy savings of more than 50 percent compared to metal halide equivalents.

ilumi solutions, a company focused on mobile LED lighting technology, recently launched a fundraising campaign on Kickstarter for their color tuning LED bulbs. The RGB LED bulbs share similar features to the Philips Hue bulbs, as it can be color tuned via a smartphone or tablet Bluetooth, and works on both Apple and Android systems. With 51 days to go for their fundraising campaign, ilumi has received backing from 180 supporters, with funds totaling US$ 17,325 as of date.

Philips has partnered up with Perkins Products, a provider of education, services and products to the blind, deafblind, and those with disabilities to develop LightAide, a new LED device designed as a teaching tool for children with low vision or other disabilities. Arrays of multi-colored LED lights in LightAide can be programmed and manipulated in various ways to help children get ready to learn reading, math and critical interactive skills. 

Digital Lumens today announced that DiloSpinnbau, a manufacturer of universal and high-capacity carding machines used to process nonwoven fibers, has upgraded its 6,600 square meter manufacturing facility to the Digital Lumens Intelligent Lighting System, saving 91 percent of its lighting energy costs annually.

Philips Hue has been installed at the Photon Project’s Photon Pod at the London Design Festival. The all-glass pod is a prototype for the Photon Project that will collect invaluable data and insights on the links between light, health and wellbeing over a planned four-year period. The Photon Project is a groundbreaking scientific study initiated by glass engineering company Cantifix, and Oxford University, to explore in detail the effects of light on the biological clock – which in turn affects the health, wellbeing, mood and behavior of each of us.

U.S.-based LED lighting designer Joey Nicotera has unveiled a colorful suspended interior installation for the Boston Science Museum recently. The Capturing the Arc display is made of 27 LED acrylic arcs etched with small dots in a grid, and appears transparent when the power is turned off. The arcs uses a total of 4,385 color changing LEDs, and nearly one mile of wiring. The arc’s large surface to weight ratio allows it move freely to the lobby breeze.

Over 2000 Robe Lighting LEDWash fixtures are in action on a series of high profile stands – including Audi, BMW, Mini. Opel, Porsche, Seat and Volkswagen, at the 65th International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt, Germany.

Philips Hue, has been installed at the Photon Project’s Photon Pod at the London Design Festival. The all-glass pod is a prototype for the Photon Project that will collect invaluable data and insights on the links between light, and health and wellbeing over a planned four-year period. The Photon Project is a scientific study initiated by glass engineering company Cantifix, and Oxford University, to explore in detail the effects of light on the biological clock – which in turn affects the health, wellbeing, mood and behavior of each of us.

Sapphire substrate applications have shifted from LED to smartphones, according to a report by Taiwanese media UDN. Apple was the first to apply the material in its iPhone home button, and has recently expanded sapphire substrate applications to fingerprint recognition sensors, camera outer case, and even the entire smartphone monitor. As a result, Taiwanese manufacturers are close to full production capacity. ACME Electronics Corp. subsidiaries including USI Optronics Corp., Crystal Applied Technology Inc., ProCrystal Technology Co., and Crystalwise Technology Inc. have launched a new wave of expansion.

English newspaper, Daily Mail, recently featured a rather interesting LED application that allows ladies to show off their assets in “flying colors”. The LED push up bras is the latest design of an LED attire company Electric Styles. The company has extended its lineup of LED bras launched back in 2010 to six different styles, and in 14 different sizes from A-D cup.

In continuing the pursuit of sustainability, Philips Lightolier’s Calculite White LED luminaires are the latest in LED lighting innovation. Representing an evolution from remote phosphor technology to white LEDs, Calculite’s new line up of luminaires provide a Color Rendering Index (CRI) of up to 82, increasing the visual comfort and appeal of the illuminated space through accurate color rendition. 

Fairchild Semiconductor, a semiconductor manufacturer recently offered insights into how to design a flicker-free LED light source.  

Osram have extended their range of aftermarket fit DRLs meaning drivers can now add a DRL function to their vehicle, transforming their car into an eye-catcher and ultimately increasing road safety.

As LED continues to evolve many specifiers continue to choose their LED accent fixtures by looking for lumens per watt or total number of delivered lumens the fixtures produce. The question the specifier should ask before selecting a fixture is to ask themselves, "How much of the total lumen produced, hit the intended target?"

Hammerhead Navigation, a U.S. company has started a fundraising campaign on Dragon Innovation for its LED bike navigation system that can be programmed with a smartphone. The navigation system, Hammerhead, makes cycling safer as it saves cyclists the trouble of checking their smartphones for locations and routes while on the road. The bright RGB LEDs signal different information according to its array on the device. 

NEC Display Solutions of America, a provider of commercial LCD display and projector solutions, announced today its new 21.5-inch AccuSync™ AS222WM desktop monitor targeted to small-to-medium-sized business users.

The use of state-of-the art LED lighting and camera will create the illusion of invisibility, making the tower look as if it has disappeared.

In late August, LEDinside introduced a portable LED light cube for filmmakers and photographers from Australian online solutions company 1C12. The company’s flexible fund raising project with a target of US$ 60,000 launched on Indiegogo just a month ago has seen funds flow in at an exponential rate to US$ 119,302. Having nearly doubled its estimated funding requirements, the Australian company has announced the addition of an adaptor range in a recent update on Indiegogo.

Freudenberg displays a variety of energy-saving solutions for vehicle applications, including a  flexible printed circuit board technology to incorporate 64 tiny LED lights for the new Opel Adam headline. it took Freudenberg 18 months to develop the LED solution, a first according to the company to use a customized flexbile printed circuit board technology.

Quantum Materials Corp. announced it has shipped Tetrapod Quantum Dots in sample quantities to a diversified leading Asian-based electronics manufacturer. Quantum Materials recently developed tetrapod quantum dots to meet the client's performance specifications.

Future Lighting Solutions LED department announced completing renovations of National Wet Land Museum of China’s night lights in a joint project with Yajiang Applied Technology (YAT).When the museum was established in 2010 it came with night lights, but the design did not include its landmark tourist tower. The new LED design uses energy saving “green” lighting systems produces purer colors with warmer color temperature and more distinctive night view effects from a distance. The design used in total 144 LED linear wall washer lamps, and 36 1W LED bulbs were installed at an interval of one meter.

Dialight, a global LED manufacturer that specializes in transportation, infrastructure, industrial, and hazardous areas, announced a new line of Vigilant® aircraft obstruction LED lighting that offers a number of advancements on their already superior obstruction product line. With FAA certification for all tower and aircraft obstruction heights, the new Vigilant obstruction lighting line provides lower power consumption, smaller size, less wind load and lighter weight.

TNT, Transnational Tandeidan, is a non-governmental organization that has been dedicating to promote a better lighting world. For more than a decade, TNT has already held countless lectures, workshops and events to invite people around the world join their lineup to feel the light around ourselves. This year, TNT traveled to Taiwan and collaborated with Xue Xue Institute to invite Taiwanese people to observe the lighting world.

How do people interact with the surroundings at night? This must be achieved through light. However, according to a survey conducted by Coretronic Culture and Arts Foundation (CCAF), there are 97% of Taiwan’s residents admit that our cities need better lighting infrastructure. For this reason, the association launched an event to improve the lighting condition and reveal the importance of appropriate lighting design.

The K3 series LED grow lights are comprised of high powered 3 Watt LEDs featuring a proprietary intensified spectrum designed for flowering large yields. This revolutionary series of LED grow lights will produce the biggest and best yields, while consuming approximately half the electricity and producing virtually no heat. The Kind LED Grow Light will cultivate record breaking yields, both in quantity and quality, while running quieter, cooler, and more efficiently than any other grow light.