David Shiller

  Today, Autani, a leading provider of advanced building automation and energy management solutions, and LiteTrace, a pioneer in Bluetooth® lighting control solutions, announced their merger to create a global leader in smart commercial building technologies and energy optimization. The merger combines Autani’s award-winning building automation platform and LiteTrace’s innovative Keilton brand of Bluetooth mesh [...]

The first company to produce an artificial skylight with a sun moving across a blue sky was CoeLux. The Italian company sprang from research by Founder, CEO, and scientist Prof. Paolo Di Trapani, in 2009. See image above. More information here. Since then, other companies have jumped into the category. Innerscene launched it’s first virtual [...]

Self-professed lighting nerd and historian Frank Grobmeier recently launched an illuminating look back at the lighting industry’s historical and little-known facts with his blog Radiant History (www.radianthistory.com). The blog unveils tales of luminosity and delves into the evolution of light throughout the ages. From candles and oil lamps to the birth of solid-state luminaries, Radiant [...]

  Audi announced that its 2024 Q6 e-tron will be the first model to include its second generation digital OLED taillights. The new taillights communicate warning symbols to other drivers, including accidents and breakdowns by displaying a specific static rear light signature with integrated warning symbols and the regular rear light graphic in critical road [...]

Utility programs in four Northeast states have evaluated LED linear ambient market share. The utility consulting firm, DNV, performed all four rebate program evaluation reports for Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Jersey. Projected LED linear ambient market share for 2023 ranges from 83% to 94%. Market shares this high may eventually make it difficult [...]

  Blue Laser Fusion, Inc. (BLF) was founded in 2022 by Shuji Nakamura, Ph.D., 2014 Nobel Laureate in Physics and Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and co-inventor of the blue / phosphor converted white LED; Hiroaki Ohta, Ph.D., General Partner of Waseda University Ventures (WUV); and Richard Ogawa, a Silicon Valley-based attorney. [...]

Some estimates are that up to one billion birds each year are killed in collisions with windows. A new report titled, “Building Safer Cities for Birds: How Cities Are Leading the Way on Bird-Friendly Building Policy,” details the growing number of cities, municipalities, laws, and policies that are reducing deadly bird collisions with buildings. The [...]

  2023 has already seen quite a few lighting manufacturer shut downs. I’m not talking about Chapter 11 restructurings nor acquisitions. Here are seven lighting manufacturers that shuttered operations so far in 2023: Universal-Douglas – Shut down March 22nd. More details here. Pathway Lighting – Shut down June 9th. Asset auction closes September 13th. More [...]

The September 2023 issue of LD+A has an interesting article arguing that a 180-degree cut-off for street and area lights is an inadequate requirement. The article is written by Thomas Paterson, who lays out the following arguments for a tighter beam cut-off angle, such as 150 or 120 degrees: Tolerance – A 180-degree cut-off doesn’t [...]