Last October, the biologist and former GE Healthcare chief scientist James Rothman received the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for solving the mystery of how cells shuttle molecules of insulin and other substances to the right place in the body. This year, two other former GE scientists looking for new sources of light, Bob Hall and Nick Holonyak Jr., almost felt the glow of a Nobel themselves.

At present, LED illumination lamps and lanterns are more and more popular and pervasive with the explosive growth of LED industry output value. Moreover, people have fallen in love with LED lights and can’t leave them in daily life and work.

Nanoco Group plc (AIM:NANO), a developer and manufacturer of cadmium-free quantum dots and other nanomaterials, announces that it has signed a follow-on joint development agreement with Osram, one of the world’s largest lighting companies, in connection with the use of Nanoco cadmium-free quantum dots in general lighting.

 LG Chem OLED Light panels have been used as the main light source at Tincan, a newly opened pop-up restaurant designed by AL_A. The restaurant which was introduced in time for this year’s London Design Festival, serves an exquisite collection of tinned seafood along with carefully selected beer and wine. The decision to use LG Chem OLEDs for the restaurant’s lighting was based on the excellent light quality as well as the design possibilities unique to OLEDs. Moreover, the simplicity of OLEDs enabled the architectural design firm, AL_A, to design and manufacture the lightings themselves.

pureLiFi, the light communications technology company, has produced the world’s first Li-Fi network by turning off-the-shelf LED light fixtures into wireless access points. The company has produced all the necessary components for the “atto-cellular” communication system that can serve multiple mobile users at the same time (multi-user access), allowing them to move around inside a room or premises while seamlessly connecting to the best serving light bulb (also termed “handover”).

Hubbell Lighting, a world leader in lighting innovation, launched today the industry’s first all-in-one LED commercial downlight fixture—Prescolite’s LBSLEDA. Built to fit a standard 4x4 J-Box, the new fixture is the perfect alternative to recessed products in settings where plenum height is challenging or where fire codes restrict the use of recessed fixtures. Ideal for commercial, new construction, remodel, and residential applications, the LBSLEDA embraces an installation system that is versatile, simple, and seamless.

LED bulb prices over the past quarter, with price declines most markedly in the German market for both 40W and 60W equiv. LED bulbs last month.Prices for 60W equiv. LED bulb have dropped more than 40W equiv. LED bulbs in September. Bulb price upticks have only been reported in the U.S. market last month, according to a recent global bulb price survey by LEDinside, a research subsidiary of Taipei-based market intelligence firm TrendForce.

Prof. Hiroshi Amano, a member of Aledia’s Scientific Advisory Board, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, alongside Shuji Nakamura and Isamu Akasaki for their roles in inventing the blue light emitting diode (LED), that has revolutionized the lighting and display worlds.

India’s Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) announced selling LED bulbs to households at very low prices, according to a report by The Economic Times.

GT Advanced Technology’s (GTAT) recently carried out major job cuts, and intends to take legal action against former partner Apple, according to a Reuters report.

The Next Generation Lighting Industry Alliance (NGLIA) has recently released the third edition of  “LED Luminaire Lifetime: Recommendations for Testing and Reporting”. The alliance membership includes some lighting industry heavy weights including Philips, Cree and GE lighting. Below are some of the key recommendations from the report:

Industry experts that attended SSL Ecosystm Summit noted the Color Rendering Index (CRI) often used to define the color quality in LED lights is an insufficient color perception measurement, and might be replaced with other color measurement standards soon, according to an All LED Lighting report.

The U.S. Department of Energy has released a report on the longer-term performance of an LED lighting system that was installed on the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis in September 2008 and represents one of the country's oldest continuously operated exterior LED lighting installations. The report is a welcome addition to the literature on LED lighting, which is lacking in the area of longer-term field performance.

U.S. startup Axentwear’s new cat ear styled headphones are bound to turn eyes and put the wearer in the center of attention.

Peruvian lighting designer Claudia Paz shared her insight on the creative process of architectural lighting design during a presentation at Philips Color Kinetics in Burlington, Massachusetts, USA, on September 25, 2014. The renowned lighting designer discussed her key influences and most memorable projects, including her involvement with the recent Banco del Crédito de Peru (BCP) Affinity lighting installation.

Power management company Eaton today announced that the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) Progress Committee has recognized nine of its light-emitting diode (LED) luminaires from its Cooper Lighting Division for inclusion in the 2014 IES Progress Report. The Progress Report showcases products that provide significant technical advancement in the art and science of lighting.

Setting the scene is Luxonic’s Skylux® pendant, a new decorative rchitectural fitting suspended from ceilings and presenting an horizontal disc of edge lit acrylic powered by LEDs.  Also designed for office interiors are the new direct/indirect versions of Luxonic’s successful Slimlux® and Skylux® LED luminaires.  Both designed for suspension mounting and using LEDs of 4,000k Ra80 the Skylux’s larger dimensions produces 2900 lumens and Slimlux® is just 66mm wide and it produces 1590 lumens.

These days, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are being increasingly used as replacements for traditional lamps and many other electronic appliances. In fact, lighting alone is responsible for up to 20 percent of the world's electricity consumption. As a result, the need to develop advanced LED materials and technology that produce more light while maintaining efficiency and reliability has become even more crucial in the industry. In many ways, Taiwan is a leader in the LED industry, since it manufactures the world's highest volume of LED products and continues to introduce various leading-edge technological advancements.

Heliospectra, a world leader in intelligent lighting technology for plant research and greenhouse cultivation, has had its U.S. patent application approved by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The patent concerns methods in optimizing LED lighting for plants as well as to make working processes more efficient in greenhouse environments of the future.

Khatod products leverage nearly three decades of hands-on experience with the toughest challenges in making lenses for SSL in a wide range of applications. Since our inception in 1985, unique on the international scene, Khatod has specified and developed the entire product process 100 percent in-house, Milano, Italy. A full optical service – from project to object - encompassing all the product development processes based on the latest in technology. Khatod offers full series of optical solutions for endless applications as well as a great capability in the realization of custom optics. We are able to develop the customers’ projects by collaborating with their designers or being their designers.

Shuji Nakamura, a former speaker at LEDinside’s LEDforum and a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics 2014, along with Isamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano on Tuesday in Sweden. Their breakthrough work in blue LED semi-conductors in the early 1990s put an end to a three-decade technology stalemate. Emergence of blue LEDs finally made white light achievable by combining blue, red and green LEDs.

The LED industry has been on a rollercoaster ride this week. Starting off with the bad news, U.S. MOCVD manufacturer GTAT dropped a bomb on the financial market, with its abrupt bankruptcy announcement on Monday. Investors were scrambling to retain any value in their investments as stock prices tumbled more than 92% to a sad US $0.8 per share. Recent reports that the company CEO Thomas Gutierrez sold out a majority of stocks prior to the launch of the iPhone 6, has put the company in a bad light of susceptible insider trading.

Since GT Advanced Technology (GTAT) abruptly filed for bankruptcy protection this Monday, many industry insiders have speculated how this will impact Apple. While most Wall Street financial analysts believe Apple could walk away with GTAT’s sapphire equipment and patents at a bargain price, one report believes Apple could acquire GTAT.

Taiwanese sapphire manufacturer Tera Xtel Technology filed a sapphire camera lens patent infringement lawsuit against Apple, Senao International and Vibao on Oct. 9, 2014 (Taipei time). The company is seeking compensation totaling NT $300 million (US $9.88 million) from the three companies.

The CEO of Apple sapphire supplier GT Advanced Technology, which recently filed for bankruptcy protection, might have known financial doom was looming, according to a latest report from Wall Street Journal.

Japanese trio Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano, and Shuji Nakamura are probably still in a festival mood after being awarded the Nobel Prize for their technological breakthrough in blue LEDs, but the man behind the first LED has been left feeling bypassed by the committee, according to a AP report.

Have you ever wondered why you always hit the snooze button for an extra 15 to 30 minutes of sleep in the morning? A whitepaper by Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), the global leader in lighting, has compiled insights from over 10 years of ongoing research1 on the effect of light on our sleep/wake cycle or “circadian rhythm”. It reveals that the amount and quality of light you are exposed to every day may be responsible for your Monday morning blues. Indeed, light ultimately dictates whether you are a morning person or a night owl. 

 Lextar Electronics Corp. (TAIEX: 3698, “Lextar” or the “Company), a vertically-integrated LED company from Taiwan, debuted an ultra slim flat panel LED luminaire, LEAFIA, with a thickness of only 8mm and has been named a winner in Japan’s Good Design Award 2014. This is the fourth time Lextar has received recognition from the award. Lextar will unveil LEAFIA at the Hong Kong International Lighting Fair taking place during October 27-30, 2014.

While other ambient lighting products require technical knowledge or are limited to computer input. Ambitheater allows HDMI with HDCP support as well as whole room lighting for a full experience.

 Luminus Devices, Inc., a global manufacturer of high-performance LEDs and solid-state light sources, announced today a five year limited warranty for the XNOVA family of chip-on-board (COB) arrays designed for both indoor and outdoor directional lighting applications. The company introduces this warranty on the heels of competing their 6000 hour LM-80 testing which demonstrated long term color stability and robust lumen maintenance, even under extreme conditions including both high temperature and high drive current.