David Shiller

  Smart homes are evolving from simple convenience systems into environments that react to human biological signals. One company, Ultrahuman, is working to fuse wearables, lab biomarkers, and home automation into a continuous health feedback loop. Ultrahuman, founded in 2019, began with an activity-tracking app and later added metabolic tracking via continuous glucose monitoring in [...]

  Researchers at the University of Edinburgh analyzed whether ultraviolet (UV) exposure in low-sunlight regions is associated with better or worse health outcomes, focusing on deaths from cardiovascular disease, cancer, and skin cancer. Using UK Biobank data from 395,000 white European participants across the UK, they linked individual health and genetic records with estimated UV [...]

  While primarily utilized in entertainment lighting, 5-channel color mixing is beginning to be adopted in high performance architectural fixtures, as well. This includes two approaches: red-green-blue-amber-lime (RGBAL) and red-green-blue-indigo-lime (RGBIL). Here is a comparison between the two 5-channel color mixing approaches. The differences between RGBAL and RGBIL LEDs primarily involve color rendering, spectral output, and specialized application needs. [...]

  Randy Reid published an interesting article in EdisonReport about a conversation at Light + Building, in Frankfurt. The conversation was about whether NFC configurable drivers could be replaced with mobile app-configured drivers to eliminate the NFC programming tool, in favor of a basic smart phone or tablet running an app. While the advantage is [...]

  EV charger rebates in 2026 are at record coverage and dollar levels, but the programs are more volatile, complex, and time‑sensitive than ever, especially with a key federal tax credit expiring mid‑year. 85% of the US is now covered by a rebate or incentive for installing an EV charger, up from 78% a year [...]

  I’ve previous written two articles (1) & (2) about a startup that is seeking to reflect sunlight onto Earth with a constellation of giant space mirrors. That startup, Reflect Orbital, based in California, plans to deploy up to 50,000 orbiting mirrors by 2035 to provide $5,000/hour “sunlight on demand” for solar farms (also to [...]

  As of March 3rd, 2026, the EPA is transferring the ENERGY STAR program to the Department of Energy (DOE) through a 10-year Memorandum of Agreement. This shift, driven by a desire to unify labeling with DOE’s efficiency standards, initiates a 90-day transition period for transferring partnerships, IT systems, and databases. Key Details of the [...]

  Focal Point’s Seem Sweep 2 has expanded their award-winning curvilinear luminaires with narrow, 2.5″ aperture, offering additional design flexibility to specifiers. Building on the success of the original Seem Sweep 2 Patterns, these new offerings introduce a broader toolkit of curved and linear forms, now unified by rounded end caps that deliver a soft, [...]

  This study used ultra–high-field 7T fMRI to examine how temporal light modulation (TLM) (aka flicker) at different frequencies activates or deactivates brain regions in healthy adults, with a particular focus on whether non-perceptible flicker still drives visual cortex responses. Participants viewed LED stimuli modulated at 50 Hz (clearly perceived as flicker) and at ≥100 [...]