Designers of automotive systems can now add dynamic hand-gesture controls with sensors combining IR array. Maxim Integrated released a new product, MAX25205, which integrates optics and a 6x10 infrared (IR) sensor to detect swipe and hand-rotation gestures without cameras. Based on the technology, the sensor can be smaller in size and cost only one tenth comparing to other camera-based product. (Image: Maxim Integrated) Automakers predict driver safety will improve when gesture and proximity sensing replace knobs and touch screens for infotainment, phone, side mirror, cl...

New research published in EPJ B reveals that the higher-than-expected efficiency of PLEDs can be reached through interactions between triplet excitons, and impurities embedded in their polymer layers. (Image: EPJ B) Polymer LEDs (PLEDs) are devices containing single layers of luminescent polymers, sandwiched between two metal electrodes. They produce light as the metal layers inject electrons and holes into the polymer, creating distortions which can combine to form two different types of electron-hole pair: either light-emitting ‘singlets,’ or a non-...

Following its announcement last week, Xiaomi launched two 82-inch TVs with Mini LED backlight technology featuring 8K and 4K resolution. The 8K one priced RMB 49999 and the 4K is RMB 9999. Both product will be released on October 21, 2020. (Image: Xiaomi) LEDinside learned that Xiaomi’s Mini LED TVs adopt the backlight solution based on a sprinkle of Mini LED components sized 1616. The 8K TV used 15,360 units of Mini LEDs to achieve 960 local dimming zones. Each of the dimming zone can deliver 4096 grayscales to realize a high contrac...

Sharp is going to spin off its display business, setting up a new subsidiary named “Sharp Display Technology” (SDTC) on October 1, 2020, reported The Sankei News. The new spinoff will focus on novel display technology particularly Micro LED. (Image: LEDinside) By establishing SDTC, Sharp plan to collect more external funds for Micro LED development, which will support the company to join the competition of next-gen display technology that currently ruled by Sony, Samsung and other competitors. It was revealed in August that Sharp has buil...

Crystal IS, an Asahi Kasei company, and Boston University’s National Emerging Infectious Disease Laboratories (NEIDL) have performed research demonstrating the efficacy of Crystal IS’ Klaran UVC LEDs to inactivate SARS-CoV-2. Crystal IS initiated this research to understand how SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, responds to ultraviolet light across the emission range of Klaran UVC LEDs (260 nm to 270 nm) and at different doses. (Image: Crystal IS) Log Reduction as a Function of Dose and LED Peak ...

Yearly Mini LED backlight TV shipment is projected to reach 4.4 million units for 2021, a 2% penetration rate in the overall TV market, as brands begin integrating Mini LED backlights into their TVs and continue to improve technologies as well as optimize costs, according to TrendForce’s latest investigations. While Apple is set to release IT products featuring Mini LED backlights, Korea-based Samsung and LG will both debut their own Mini LED backlight TVs in 2021. In particular, as part of its effort to deploy Mini LED backlight across its produ...

Airplane manufacturer Boeing announced that it has entered into a patent and technology license with Healthe. Based on the collaboration, Healthe will produce an UV wand designed by Boeing to sanitize airplane interiors. "The UV wand is designed to be more effective than similar devices. It quickly disinfects surfaces on an airplane and further strengthens other layers of protection for passengers and crew," said Mike Delaney, who leads Boeing's CTI efforts. "Boeing spent six months transforming an idea for the wand into a working model, and Healthe ...

Is the shirt on the shelf really made of 100% cotton? Does the apple in the supermarket only look delicious, or is it spoiled and vitamin deficient? A closer look at the molecular structure provides the answers to these questions. Near-infrared spectroscopy makes that possible. For many years, Osram Opto Semiconductors has been developing compact and particularly powerful broadband infrared LEDs for spectroscopy. In addition to the broad wavelength range, the energy efficiency of the integrated components is essential to system manufacturers, as are the compact dimensions. Osram...

Toyoda Gosei, who announced the development of deep UV LED disinfecting module, recently confirmed the effectiveness of its product in SARS-CoV-2 inactivation. The company also reported that the UV LED module will adopted in water purification unit launching in November 2020. Toyoda Gosei has conducted a viral inactivation experiment in which the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was irradiated using its deep UV LED technology. The experiment was conducted jointly with the Biomedical Science Association, a certified NPO, and showed these deep UV LE...

Samsung announced that it will stick to its play to produce QD display panel next year as the Korean giant has quit LCD business. Meanwhile, BOE, the Chinese panel maker, announced its plan to take over shares of CEC Panda’s facilities to expand its capacity of large size display. (Image: Samsung) As the capacity of Chinese display manufacturers continues to expand, competitors from other countries have been searching for new approaches to drive their own business. Samsung, who once took a lead in the industry, decided to cut its LCD production and has sol...

Fluence by Osram teamed up with The Lamphouse, the largest supplier of specialized lamps in Africa to supplier its LED lighting solutions for horticulture applications. The Lamphouse is Fluence’s exclusive partner serving South Africa’s professional horticulture stores and fulfilling large commercial cannabis projects. “Local partnerships are a key factor in delivering fast and reliable solutions to growers. The Lamphouse is a natural extension of the Fluence team on the ground in South Africa’s biggest cities and beyond,” said Timo Bonga...

A new research conducted by the University of Arizona Health Sciences found that people who suffer from migraine may benefit from green light therapy, which was shown to reduce the frequency and intensity of headaches and improve patient quality of life. "This is the first clinical study to evaluate green light exposure as a potential preventive therapy for patients with migraine," said Mohab Ibrahim, an associate professor in the UArizona College of Medicine and lead of the study. (Image: The University of Arizona) During the study, patients were exposed ...

Analog Devices announced a strategic collaboration with Microsoft to leverage Microsoft’s 3D time-of-flight (ToF) sensor technology, allowing customers to easily create 3D applications that bring higher degrees of depth accuracy and work regardless of the environmental conditions in the scene. ADI’s technical expertise will build upon Microsoft Azure Kinect technology to deliver leading ToF solutions to a much broader audience in areas such as Industry 4.0, automotive, gaming, augmented reality, computational photography and videography. Currently, the indu...

Hydromea, a spinoff of École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), has developed a miniature optical modem that can operate down to 6,000 meters below the ocean’s surface. It is sensitive enough to collect data at very high speeds from sources more than 50 meters away. Radio wave can hardly work underwater as they are easily absorbed by water. So wireless internet connection underwater is nearly impossible. But it would be another story if the connection is based on light. Hydromea is using light to transmit data below the ocean or lake surfac...

Xiaomi announced that it is going to officially launch its Xiaomi TVs in China on September 28. The new TV products under the Mi TV Master series will feature 8K resolution and 5G connection based on panel using Mini LED backlight display technology. (Image: Xiaomi) Xiaomi has been expanding its high-end TV portfolio with the launch of its transparent TV series based on OLED technology announced in August and the latest update of Mini LED backlit TVs. Other than 8K, 5G and Mini LED technology, the Chinese company has yet revealed details ...

ON Semiconductor announced that SUBARU has selected its image sensing technology to enable camera-based ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) in the car manufacturer's new-generation EyeSight Driver Assist platform. The Levorg, a 2020 All-Wheel Drive Sports Tourer, is the first model to offer the new system. As with previous versions of EyeSight, ON Semiconductor's image sensing technology acts as the ‘eyes’ to enable this important safety functionality. The new-generation Eyesight, recently announced in the Japan market, provid...

Osram announced the plan to realign its partnership with Continental and return their joint venture business to the parent company. The information was released soon after Osram reported its transfer progress with ams, indicating that the company is speeding up transformation within the organization. Osram and Continental will negotiate on separating of the business in smart automotive lighting systems and returning it to the respective companies. The German companies noted that the decision was made in response to the gloomy market environment, which is being further impacted b...

The deal of Austria sensor company buying Osram is moving one more step forward as Osram announced that it has agreed with ams on the conclusion of a domination and profit and loss transfer agreement. In this regard, the Managing Board and the Supervisory Board of Osram adopted resolutions to sign the agreement with ams Offer GmbH and to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting for November 3, 2020 in which, inter alia, a resolution is to be tabled to approve Osram’s entry into the agreement. Base on the agreement, minority shareholders of Osram will receive an...

GE Current announced its disinfecting lighting product based on the latest patent pending technology. These solutions represent a first line of defense that fights a broad spectrum of germs including the SARS-CoV-2 virus around the clock. GE Current’s 365DisInFx™ technology leverages a business’ existing lighting infrastructure to deliver germicidal UV light in places where people gather. The technology implement UVA LED and demonstrated a 99.7% disinfecting rate of common pathogens on surfaces over an eight-hour period at 3 W/m2 with in-vitro t...

LiDAR solution provider Cepton Technologies unveiled details of its automotive-grade LiDAR sensor, Vista®-X90, which deliver advance performance with high volume price of less than $1000. The product is scheduled for production in 2022. The Vista-X90 is the newest addition to Cepton’s Vista-X automotive grade sensor family. It sets a new benchmark for high performance at low power in a compact form factor, and is ideally suited for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles (AVs). Weighing less than 900 g, the Vista-X90 achieve...

According to TrendForce 2021 Global LED Video Wall Market Outlook and Price Cost Analysis, given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, TrendForce revised down the global market scale of LED video wall in 2020. However, it is still expected that in 2H20, outdoor video wall and municipal projects like security and control room will benefit from government’s financial policies and economic stimulus programs such as new infrastructural construction and more. As such, the market demand of outdoor transportation and control room will improve in 2H20. It is esti...

ViewSonic unveiled its All-in-One Direct View LED Displays, a new addition to the large-size presentation display sector. Different from traditional LED displays, these new displays integrate display, image stitching, power supply, and control systems into one device that offers easy installation, operation, and maintenance. (Image: ViewSonic) "As a leading visual solution provider, we are pioneering new trends in the LED projector and presentation display markets and moving the development of LED technology forward by achieving this new milestone in LED...

As LG officially released its Micro LED display, Samsung’s The Wall is also moving a step forward by breaking into the commercial display market in Japan. BusinessKorea reported that Japan’s largest display solution company NGC is offering Samsung’s The Wall series to its customers such as NHK and TV Asahi. (Image: Samsung) For the Korean company, it is a great achievement to penetrate the Japanese market as it had been a rather close environment favoring domestic suppliers. However, since other Japanese competitors like NEC and Sh...

Vertical farming startup InFarm announced that it has raised US$170 million in the first close of a Series C funding round expected to reach $200 million. Led by LGT Lightstone, the first round included participation by investors Hanaco, Bonnier, Haniel, and Latitude, and was supported by existing Infarm investors Atomico, TriplePoint Capital, Mons Capital and Astanor Ventures. With a mix of equity and debt financing, the fresh capital infusion brings Infarm's total funding to date to more than $300 million, underscoring consumer and retailer appetite for I...

Lumileds reported the appointment of its CEO, Matt Roney, which will be effective on October 1, 2020. Roney most recently served as President of Lumileds’ Automotive Business Unit and succeeds Dr. Jonathan Rich who will continue with the company as Executive Chairman of the Board. (Image: Lumileds) “Lumileds has a long history of innovation in conventional automotive lighting and is a pioneer of leading-edge LED technology for the consumer electronics, automotive, and general illumination markets,” said Roney. “I am honored by the oppo...

It was reported today on September 21 that Chinese LED chip manufacturer Sanan Optoelectronics has progressed faster than expected with its Mini LED chip development and might begin to supply its product to Apple’s iPad Pro and MacBook in 2021. If Sanan joins the supply chain with lower price, the business of Epistar, the Taiwan-based LED supplier who is reportedly the major Mini LED chip supplier of Apple, may be impacted. However, TrendForce said that Sanan has yet made its way into the Apple supply chain and the low price may not be the first priori...

Researchers at Hiroshima University offered first proof that UVC light with a 222 nm wavelength, which many claim to be safer for human and animals, can effectively kills the SARS-CoV-2 virus, pathogen of COVID-19. The study was published in the American Journal of Infection Control on September 4, 2020, titled “Effectiveness of 222-nm ultraviolet light on disinfecting SARS-CoV-2 surface contamination.” The article demonstrated the results of an in vitro experiment of the research team which showed that 99.7% of the SARS-CoV-2 viral culture...

Taiwan based LED companies Epistar and Lextar announced that the share conversion date of their new holding company ENNOSTAR will be delayed. The two companies originally set the date on October 20, 2020 to convert shares of both company and list ENNOSTAR. But since the case has yet pass the review procedure of the Chinese antitrust authorities, the share conversion date is now rescheduled to January 6, 2021. (Image: Pixabay) Epistar and Lextar announced that they are establishing a new holding company through share swapping with the aim to integrate reso...

LightingEurope is promoting the benefits of UVC disinfection and advocating the integration of the technologies in the EU Renovation Wave. Aiming to stimulate market demand and fair market access in Europe, LightingEurope also calls for including UVC technologies in to the application and enforcement of existing safety rules and standards. “Our challenge is to switch regulator’s perception of UV-C beyond special applications to mass market solutions for buildings and transport, where the concentration of human activity raises the risk of contamination,&rdqu...

With applications featuring Mini LED display technology about to enter the market, the industry seems to hold a more optimistic view towards Micro LED. Two Micro LED technology builders unveiled their plans to set up new Micro LED production lines this week, including Taiwanese company PlayNitride and French Aledia. (Image: LEDinside) PlayNitride is going to commence construction of its second Micro LED chip production line with its secured funds of US$50 million. The production is scheduled to be completed and begin mass production by mid-2021, boos...