Products + Technology

  A recent article in SmartCitiesWorld.net argues that smart streetlighting should be valued not just for illumination but as a strategic digital platform that can drive safety, sustainability, operational savings across many municipal departments, as well as new revenue for cities. Streetlighting is one of the most pervasive, upgrade-ready assets that cities own, capable of [...]

  Lego’s new Smart Play platform introduces a sensor‑equipped “Smart Brick” that adds lights, sound, and interactivity to traditional sets, exciting some adult fans while worrying others about higher prices and creeping “tech-ification” of play.Lego introduced the Smart Brick at CES, earlier this month. The Smart Brick is the size of a classic 2×4 Lego [...]

  Kyocera SLD Laser has announced a breakthrough Underwater Wireless Optical Communication (UWOC) technology that achieves short‑range data transmission at 5.2 Gbps, positioning it among the fastest fiberless UWOC systems demonstrated to date. Core innovation Kyocera’s UWOC system converts digital data streams into laser light using a proprietary physical (PHY) layer and custom optical front-end [...]

  One of the most critical technologies to enable widespread electrification of homes is battery energy storage systems (BESS). LightNOW frequently writes about how the lighting industry is adopting electrification products in the face of LED ubiquity, market contraction, and commoditization. Many lighting manufacturers now offer EV chargers, and some have moved on to offering [...]

  In 2025, the humanoid robot industry transitioned from experimental prototypes to early-stage industrial deployment. The adoption timeline is expected to follow a three-stage trajectory: moving from structured industrial environments to business services and eventually to private households. In industrial and logistics applications, there are currently less than 1,000 humanoid robots active in automotive factories and [...]

  Flament LED lamps have been around a long time, as have smart, color-changing lamps. What’s new is the combination……smart, color-changing filament lamps! Here are two good examples: SATCO|NUVO’s STARFISH® SMART Color Changing Lamps SATCO|NUVO’s STARFISH® SMART technology color changing lamps feature an eye-catching RGBTW decorative ribbon filament that is showcased through the clear glass [...]

  Eureka’s Lattice line is a ceiling suspended, 3D metal printed family of decorative luminaires that functions as both sculpture and ambient lighting for premium interior spaces. It is a printed-on-demand offering that leverages intricate aluminum lattice structures to deliver a soft, luxurious glow in hospitality, commercial, and high end residential environments. Core concept and [...]

  Power Diamond Systems (PDS), a Japanese startup spun out of Waseda University, is emerging as a pioneer in the use of synthetic diamond for next-generation power semiconductors. At SEMICON Japan 2025, the company made a strong debut by unveiling diamond-based power MOSFETs—metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors—designed for high-voltage and high-temperature applications. Notably, PDS presented its [...]

  By Maggie Swift, CEO at Unframed Digital Lighting specifiers are no longer discovering products the way manufacturers expect them to. In 2026, architects, designers, and engineers are doing the majority of their product research independently – online, on demand, and often long before a trade show visit or a conversation with a sales representative [...]