Taiwanese LED manufacturers have set certain records at this year Lighting Japan 2015, which took place at Tokyo Big Sight recently. There were LED component and lighting manufacturers that were attending the show for the first time, and returning manufacturers.

pureLiFi, the light communications technology company that leads the market in research and commercialisation of Li-Fi, has raised £1.5 million (US $2.26 million) in its latest round of investment. Valuing the 2012 University of Edinburgh spin-out at over £14 million, a VC funding round is in process and the company expects to make a related announcement on additional funding during the second half of 2015.

Millions of people are needlessly dying because a fifth of the world’s population does not have access to electric light, Royal Philips, the global leader in lighting, warns today. More than 1.3 billion people  are trapped in light poverty as they don’t have access to electricity. Most of those affected resort to kerosene lamps and candles to light their homes and businesses. But these primitive light sources claim the lives of 1.5 million people  every year through respiratory illnesses and fires – the same number killed annually by HIV-related diseases.

Contemporary Japanese fashion can often tread the thin line of art and fetishism, as seen with this new Hikaru skirt (“light skirt”) designed by Kiyoyuki Amano.

Kiekert AG, the global technology leader in automotive locking systems, has developed an industry-first LED door latch with a variety of unique safety, security and product-branding features.

Flip Chip Opto, a LED lighting technology company, announced its new P Series of LED Flip Chip Chip-on-Board (COB) products. These high-performance lighting modules are comprised of patented 3-Pad LED flip chips with a Pillar Metal Core Printed Circuit Board (P-MCPCB) to substantially reduce junction temperatures, thermal decay and light emitting surface (LES). Our innovation enables designers to enhance “Lumen-per-Dollar” performance by driving the modules at substantially higher currents reducing LED chip counts, heatsinks and optics.

Taiwanese high power LED manufacturer Aeon Lighting Technology (ALT) will be introducing the waterproof LED T8 capable of operating under -65°C (-85°F) at the 2015 AHR Expo.

ProPhotonix, a designer and manufacturer of LED illumination systems, laser diode modules and a distributor of premium vendor's laser diodes, is pleased to announce that it will exhibit a wide range of LED and laser solutions for applications including 3D measurement, non-industrial vision applications, medical and biomedical applications at Photonics West 2015, in the Moscone Center, Booth 1100.

Power management company Eaton will showcase its innovative and energy-savings solutions for the residential building and construction industry at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) International Builders’ Show®  (IBS) 2015, January 20 to 22, 2015, in Las Vegas, Nevada, booth C5016, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Jufei Opto recently announced it had signed a strategic white LED patent license agreement with Toyoda Gosei’s Shanghai arm.

Japanese indoor LED luminaires and designs were especially highlighted at the 3rd Design Lighting Tokyo expo. Two designated lighting display areas Proto Lighting and Next Lighting allowed designers and new manufacturers to display the latest lighting design products.

Nobel laureate Shuji Nakamura, who was awarded the prestigious science award last year for his blue LED invention, believes laser diodes will eventually become the next mainstream light source, according to a CIO.com report.

The U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E) has announced an open funding opportunity for up to $125 million, OPEN 2015, that may be of interest to the solid-state lighting community. OPEN 2015 will support energy research and development projects from top U.S. innovators for game-changing new technologies in transportation and stationary applications, including efficiency for buildings, manufacturing and commerce, and personal use.

Leading Indian dry cell batteries manufacturer, Eveready Industries, is turning to LED lighting products for its next growth phase, according to The Financial Express report.

Luxonic’s LuxLink® Wireless control system significantly increases the sustainability of lighting schemes by combining multiple technologies to reduce energy consumption. Various sensors detect occupancy and measure available daylight to ensure energy isn’t used for lighting purposes unnecessarily and comply with the European standby power directives for stand-alone luminaires and those that relay data information as part of a networked system.

Beacon Capital Partners, a leading commercial office investor and manager, today announced that it will unveil a new, colorful LED light display at the iconic Columbia Center on Friday, January 16 at 5:00 pm with a blue and green display in celebration of the Seattle Seahawks’ hosting the upcoming NFC championship. Adding elegant, subtle movement to the city’s skyline, the color of the crown lighting will change to recognize specific dates, events and organizations throughout the year.

German lighting designer Manfred ‘Vossi’ Voss used 100 x Robe BMFL Spots to light the 2014 "Ein Herz für Kinder" (A Heart for Children) show, a high profile charity fund-raiser, produced by Schwartzkopff tv staged at the new and trendy Tempelhof airport, Berlin, and broadcast live on German national public services channel, ZDF.

SHOT Show Booth #4026 -- Olympia® will showcase its rugged line of portable outdoor lighting, power and communications products during the 2015 SHOT show.  Olympia's portfolio includes high performance two-way radios, LED flashlights, LED headlamps, solar chargers, solar power banks, LED floodlamps and lanterns.  "Olympia products have been designed to fit the rigorous needs of hunters by combining robust functionality and convenient features with affordability," said Bob Donnellan, Vice President of Sales.  All Olympia products feature a two-year warranty and long-standing power through the use of Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries and solar chargers, providing a valuable cost savings on battery replacement.

Taps in the bathroom are not necessary merely for their function. They also enhance the overall look of the bathroom. In an attempt to offer something unique to customers, Plumpinguk has released a new range of waterfall taps. Among the latest taps by the company, chrome finish, solid-brass, wind-spread and broad spout styled water taps have already started to sell well at the sire. The company has set a reasonable price for all products. Insiders have also hinted at imminent discounts.

Cree is bringing another Taiwanese LED manufacturer to court, as the company aims to maintain market dominance in U.S. The company has sued Unity Opto and its luminaire client Feit Electric for violating eight LED patents. By the end of the week, Cree created a huge shock in the LED industry with its low-priced new LED smart bulb, which is one of the first in the industry aimed at resolving long term incompatibility issues among different smart bulb operating platforms.

A major Epistar shareholder has demanded for Chinese LED chip manufacturer San’an Opto to withdraw investments in the company, due to the Chinese company’s headhunting activities, according to a recent Economic Daily News report.

Chinese LED manufacturer HC Semitek announced on Thursday, it would be privately issuing bonds to raise RMB 500 million (US $80.81 million) to replenish the company’s depleted cash flow and improve finances.

Taiwan topped global rankings last year for LED component output value, and the industry is expected to keep up 14% growth throughout 2015 to reach US $5.37 billion, according to statistics compiled by Taiwan’s Photonics Industry and Technology Development Association (PIDA).

OLED lighting is finally being mass produced as manufacturers gain more market experience and prices fall. At the 5th Edition LED/OLED Light Expo, some commercialized OLED lighting applications include medical system lighting, a sector that has attracted a lot of attention from buyers.

The U.S. Department of Energy's CALiPER program has released a special report on LED lamps available through the retail marketplace and targeted toward general consumers. While previous reports in the CALiPER retail lamps series have focused on basic performance parameters, such as lumen output, efficacy, and color quality, the new report – CALiPER Retail Lamps Study 3.1 – focuses on the dimming, power quality, and flicker characteristics of a subset of 14 LED A lamps from CALiPER Retail Lamps Study 3, as controlled by four different retail-available dimmers.

Cree introduces the Connected Cree® LED Bulb, the first smart LED bulb to deliver the combination of the lighting experience customers expect from Cree with industry-leading simplicity, multi-platform compatibility and affordability. The new 60-watt replacement Connected Cree LED Bulb is compatible with Wink and ZigBee® certified hubs and is available at The Home Depot® for just US $14.97, a price poised to drive adoption.

Left and right images are taken under identical environments of more thanover 100,000 lux. The left iris image was captured with a conventional iris camera, whereas the right image was with IriTech's outdoor capturing technology integrated camera. The left iris image shows reflections that will likely degrade the matching accuracy, whereas the right image does not have any reflections.

Bridgelux, a leading developer and manufacturer of LED lighting technologies, is now shipping its Vero® and V Series™ LED array products with high performing warm white efficacy of 130 lumens per watt (lm/W) and greater. This enhanced performance delivers up to 10% additional energy savings over previous generations. Further, the company has achieved a record warm white efficacy of greater than 160 lm/W on its existing chip on board platforms. With these efficacy gains, Bridgelux continues its tradition of breakthrough LED chip and packaging technology innovation and helps further accelerate the adoption of solid-state lighting.   

Tridonic unveils connecDIM, an easy-to-integrate light management system solution for industry and commerce. The system, comprising connecDIM Gateway and connecDIM Cloud, combines cost efficiency and user-friendly design with decentralised light monitoring and control options from anywhere in the world. Small applications with only a few DALI devices can benefit just as much as complex lighting systems in large properties.

Have you considered LED roadway lighting? When weighing the familiar performance and appearance of traditional roadway lighting against newer technologies, you may wonder how LED lives up to your stringent standards?