Philips Smart LED lights flicker out a challenge to iBeacon and Gimbal

Philips has its own plans for location-based services in stores and entertainment venues, eschewing low-power Bluetooth by instead using LED lighting that can communicate with a smartphone app and guide customers around. Dubbed Intelligent Lighting, the connected retail lighting system not only illuminates the store, as you’d expect, but acts as a positioning grid which the smartphone can use to figure out where it is currently.

Philips has its own plans for location-based services in stores and entertainment venues, eschewing low-power Bluetooth by instead using LED lighting that can communicate with a smartphone app and guide customers around. Dubbed Intelligent Lighting, the connected retail lighting system not only illuminates the store, as you’d expect, but acts as a positioning grid which the smartphone can use to figure out where it is currently.

From that point on, the possibilities are considerable. Philips has cooked up a demo app which compares what’s on a shopper’s ingredient list with the layout of a grocery store, and then guides them around to find what they need; along the way, it can also throw up suggestions of promotions, similar products, or even whole new recipes.

However, indoor directions needn’t be the limit of the system. Much as we saw with Qualcomm’s Gimbal beacons – used in Apple Stores with the iBeacon system – recently, Philips’ version could be used to enable personalized check-outs, deliver venue-specific content during concerts, or anything else which benefits from knowing exactly where the user is.

Where iBeacon relies on short-range Bluetooth connections between phone and store, Philips has opted for what’s called visual light communications (VLC). Effectively turning the LEDs on and off at such a high rate that they can be used for data transfer, but also so fast that the human eye doesn’t see that flickering, it allows for information to pass in one direction, from light to phone.

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That’s usually picked up by the front-facing camera on the device. Since the smartphone will have its own data connection, any information needed by the app can be retrieved in the usual way, rather than through the lights.

It’s not the first time we’ve seen lighting used as a data transfer system, though actual real-world implementations have been in relatively short supply. Research from the University of Edinburgh back in 2011 suggested it had advantages in internal positioning, while at roughly the same time the Fraunhofer Institute demonstrated streaming a full movie using lights.

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The advantage, Philips points out, is that stores need lights and so already have light fixtures into which the smart bulbs could fit. That bypasses outfitting a location with Bluetooth beacons. Meanwhile, there are effectively no limits to the number of client devices that could receive data from each bulb, as long as there’s line-of-sight.

On the downside, the phone would have to be able to “see” the light in order for the VLC to work, but since apps relying on location-based services like iBeacon are generally expected to be active in order for them to offer these position-based deals and notifications, that might not be such a limitation.

Philips says the VLC system is being piloted with an unspecified number of retailers, though there’s no word on when a full roll-out might take place.

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Philips Smart LED lights flicker out a challenge to iBeacon and Gimbal

LED light & portal pain Green bulbs to save BMC crores

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation has begun its power saving drive by fixing energy efficient light emitting diode (LED) bulbs in lamp posts along city streets.

Energy-saving street lights on the stretch from Sishu Bhavan to Capital Hospital Square at Forest Park in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, Feb. 16: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation has begun its power saving drive by fixing energy efficient light emitting diode (LED) bulbs in lamp posts along city streets.

Fifty-four bulbs were replaced on the stretch between Sishu Bhavan-Capital Hospital Square yesterday.

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) will fix 20,000 energy-efficient bulbs over the next one-and-a-half years in phases.

Once all the bulbs are replaced, the corporation will save around Rs 1.2 crore on its annual power bill.

At present the city has 36,000 lampposts of which 20,000 will be fixed with LED bulbs in the first phase. While in phase one 14,000 lights will be changed, another 6,000 will be replaced later.

Municipal commissioner Sanjib Kumar Mishra said according to the agreement with a Mumbai-based company contracted for the work, the corporation would save almost 80 per cent on power bills. Of the amount saved on the power bill, the company will get 90 per cent and the civic body 10 per cent.

The deal will be on for 10 years from the completion of the project.

However, the major gain will come from the cost incurred by the civic body as it invests around Rs 3 crore a year in purchasing electrical fittings and bulbs.

The benefit will start accruing once the present bulbs are replaced completely with LED bulbs.

The civic body at present pays Rs 9.8 crore annually on account of power consumption alone. The corporation will pay the private company replacing the existing streetlights Rs 60 lakh per year till the project is complete as the cost of each energy-efficient bulb and its maintenance is Rs 300 per year.

While a common street light uses a 120 watt bulb, the energy saving LEDs will consume 90 watt or less.

The 54 lights on the Sishu Bhavan-Capital Hospital stretch were also fitted with manual dimmer, which can be operated after midnight hours to reduce power consumption.

Once installation of energy-saving lights is done, the system can be made digital and linked to a central server for a particular area or the city.

“This will help in follow-up action as the system can tell which bulb is not working,’’ the commissioner said.

Last year the International Finance Corporation, a sister concern of the World Bank, had signed an agreement to ensure energy-efficient lighting in the state capital.

The International Finance Corporation is taking a consultancy fee of $5,000 a year from the corporation.

The organisation did the preliminary survey of street lights in the city and helped in selecting the agency to execute the project.

Asked about the corporations’s next step after it saves on energy bills, the municipal commissioner said: “When we are going to save Rs 1.2 crore or more a year after the installation of 20,000 LED bulbs, newroad projects will be taken up in the unreachable areas on the outskirts. Areas lacking basic infrastructure will be given priority.”

LED light & portal pain Green bulbs to save BMC crores

Incandescent, LED, CFL, Halogen light bulbs comparison - Which Really Save You Money

Lighting typically accounts for about 20-30% of your electric bill. Incandescent, LED, CFL, Halogen light bulbs, which do you use? Here is the comparison of the 4 types light bulbs. Let’s see which will really save you money.

Lighting typically accounts for about 20-30% of your electric bill. Incandescent, LED, CFL, Halogen light bulbs, which do you use? Here is the comparison of the 4 types light bulbs. Let’s see which will really save you money.

You’re familiar with the situation. You go to the store to replace a couple light bulbs that burnt out and you’re faced with an entire aisle of options: incandescents, LEDs, CFLs, halogens. Which one do you buy? There are many factors that will influence your decision, but you’ll probably go for the one that will offer the best economic value. You’ve heard that the most expensive ones will last longer and use less energy, but it’s important to consider all of your options. Will you really save money paying $25 for a light bulb?

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It’s true. The cheap incandescent bulbs are very inefficient since most of the energy they consume ends up being used for heat instead of light. For this reason, these bulbs are in the process of being phased out. Just this past month, the 40-watt and 60-watt bulbs have been banned from production, though you can probably still find them in stock at certain retail locations if you search hard enough. So you can either stock up on these ancient bulbs or get with the times and choose a more efficient option.

Lighting typically accounts for about 20-30% of your electric bill so you want to make a wise choice when it comes to which bulb to use. Below you will find a cost comparison of four different types of light bulbs; all emit the same amount of light, but vary in initial cost and the amount of energy consumed.

Comparing the electricity cost for one year, you’ll see that you could save about $10 by switching from incandescent to LED. Now that doesn’t seem like much, but once you increase the timeframe to 15 years, and factor in how many bulbs you’ll need during that time, you will notice that an incandescent will cost you almost four times as much as an LED.

Judging by this number, you decide against the incandescent. Halogen light bulbs have a longer lifespan, but between their high initial cost and their inability to save much energy, they’re out too.

Now you’re down to CFLs and LEDs. An LED bulb will last about three times longer than a CFL and will require less energy, but its current astronomical price tag will pretty much negate all of its economic benefits.

Any one of these three light bulbs is a better option than the incandescent, but until the price of LED bulbs becomes more reasonable, it’s best to stick with CFLs.

If you’re finding it difficult to make the switch, think back to the humorous Cree commercial that gave it to you straight. “The light bulbs in your house were invented by Thomas Edison in 1879. Now think about that with your twenty-thirteen brain. Do you still do the wash down at the creek while your eldest son stands lookout for wolves?”

It’s time for you to break your old fashioned trend, just don’t break the bank in the process.

Incandescent, LED, CFL, Halogen light bulbs comparison - Which Really Save You Money