Getting connected – lighting beyond illumination, as Philips shows

When we think about new lighting technologies our thoughts will often be directed initially at factors such as energy, carbon and cost of ownership. Clearly these issues are important but, in terms of technological advances, they are perhaps ‘old news’. Efficient and affordable light sources such as LED are already providing solutions and, as they continue to improve, will provide ever-better solutions in the future.

 

I would suggest a far more exciting aspect of modern lighting technology is its potential role in our increasingly connected world. The digital generation wants to control everything, gather information from many sources and answer all of the world’s questions at the touch of a button.

 

‘Answering all the world’s questions’ may be something of an exaggeration but unquestionably the amount of data we use is growing at an extraordinary rate. In fact, it has been calculated that every two days we produce more data than was produced between the beginning of civilisation and 2003.

 

In parallel, we are accessing data in many more different ways: Cisco predicts that some 25 billion devices will be connected by 2015, rising to 50 billion by 2020. So it is clear that the future holds a new level of interactivity that will become an integral part of our everyday lives.

 

Lighting has a key role to play in our digital evolution and this is where we need to start thinking ‘beyond illumination’.

 

 

Some examples of the connectivity potential of lighting can already be seen in the home, as innovations re-invent the ways in which people can interact with their lighting.

 

It’s now possible to control lighting through an ‘app’ on a smartphone or tablet device, enabling people to paint their space with light and colour, personalising it to suit their moods and preferences. We can also use lighting as an alarm clock, a security system and even take advantage of IFTTT (IF THIS THEN THAT) scenarios to interact with other devices, such as a doorbell or a ‘phone. 

 

It’s even possible to connect lighting to news alerts, so that the lighting flashes every time a particular football team scores or a favourite band is on the radio!

 

Such interactions with lighting can also be used on a much larger scale. At the Peru National Stadium in Lima, for instance, the lighting ‘taps into’ the collective mood so that the crowd’s noise levels are translated into a visual map depicted on the stadium’s façade lighting.

 

A cynic might suggest that these domestic and entertainment examples of connectivity are just gimmicks, but if we look further afield we can see very practical applications for lighting connectivity in commercial and retail sectors – and across whole cities.

 

For example, a new level of connectivity is also beginning to emerge in the commercial arena, where the lighting is integrated with the building’s IT network (Power-over-Ethernet). In this scenario the lighting system receives both its power and a unique data location from an Internet cable. When the luminaires are connected to relevant sensors the lighting system is then able to capture key information about each workspace. 

 

Therefore, these systems are able to take advantage of the fact that lighting is already installed throughout a building to supply location-based data to the facilities management team.

 

In this way the lighting system becomes the ‘backbone’ of a building-wide information pathway that continually monitors key metrics to underpin improvements in energy and operational efficiency.

 

These metrics can include comfort parameters such as light levels, temperature and humidity within each space or zone, as well as providing improved insights into the real occupancy and usage patterns of the building. The latter, in turn, feed into improved space utilisation, optimised cleaning schedules and fine-tuning of flexible workspace policies. For example if a particular floor is not used on a Friday afternoon the facilities manager can adjust temperature, lighting and cleaning schedules accordingly.

 

These network connections also enable mobile devices to be used as communications portals for facilities managers and their internal customers to interact with the lighting.

 

 

The same principle can be applied very effectively in the retail sector, using the lighting as a platform for new indoor positioning technologies. For instance, when combined with a ‘mobile shopping app’ on customers’ mobile devices such a system can be used to identify each shopper’s location in the store and provide product information based on location. The shopper can also proactively use the system to get directions to a particular product in the store.

 

Similarly, an indoor positioning system can be used to send packing and re-stocking orders directly to staff in the warehouse or store, making order picking and shelf stacking more accurate and straightforward. Store managers can also assign tasks and adjust employee activity more efficiently by using this real-time information.

 

The key challenge here is how to distribute responsive devices easily and affordably throughout the site. The obvious answer is to take advantage of the fact that the lighting is already present and fit intelligent LED luminaires with responsive devices such as locator beacons, sensors and transmitters. In this way the lighting system goes beyond simply illuminating spaces to serve as a ‘highway’ for information and data.

 

 

It is already well-established that LED lighting can deliver significant benefits for the outdoor lighting in our cities. When combined with intelligent controls it can deliver energy savings of around 80% over traditional light sources, while the white light enhances visibility and the sense of safety. The next stage in the evolution of city lighting is to exploit this functionality to create ‘Connected Lighting for Cities’.

 

The concept of Connected Lighting for Cities is to use new web-based street lighting management systems to adapt light levels based on local or central information, such as traffic or weather data. 

 

Cities can roll out these intelligent systems very quickly, using LED outdoor fixtures with built-in mobile connectivity to the central management system, eliminating the need to deploy local radio frequency networks and reducing installation costs.

 

Once such a fixture is plugged in, a light point can automatically appear on the city’s asset map, at the right location and with its main technical parameters already integrated into the system. The lighting can then be controlled remotely - individually or as a group - in response to the data that has been collected.

 

As well as monitoring current lighting status, the software can also provide auto-notifications of faults and accurate information on the energy consumption of each street light. In parallel, asset management systems can easily access information about the street lighting network and receive real-time updates about lighting maintenance requirements. 

 

 

Given that lighting is already installed in all of our buildings and cities, it makes perfect sense to exploit its ubiquity to gather location-based data that adds real value to the operation of our built assets and infrastructure. Technological developments, design possibilities and the ability to connect billions of things are allowing light to be integrated into our lives in totally new ways. 

 

The future is limited only by our imagination – all we have to do is make the connection.