Earlier this year at the 2014 Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vega, NV The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Smart Lighting Engineering Research Center (ERC) demonstrated a prototype personal light measurement system based on Google Glass.This system was built to assist in accurately monitoring the body’s circadian rhythm. Designed for Google Glass, the prototype captures an individual’s light exposure and biometric signals, then sends this information to an Android app.
The Google Glass design is intended to both monitor light exposure and a person’s biometric signals then deliver the results to an Android app that then transmits the data to your home lighting system to adjust your lighting as almost a nutrition supplement. It will also deliver insight on personal health with the ultimate goal being better sleep cycles. Proper cycles result in better mood and productivity.
Human-centric lighting or light-and-health topics have become increasingly significant relative to the evolving solid-state lighting industry as LEDs offer the unique ability to provide tunable spectrum.
Imagine living in Northern Sweden where you are forced to experience prolonged periods without daylight.By going long periods without natural light you then in turn get depressed, grumpy, and become an unproductive mess. Then, along comes a device that measures your personal light intake each day and it automatically tells your home lighting system how much and what sort of light your body needs to function properly. Sounds like science fiction, right? Check out RPI’s Healthy Home Project in Sweden.
According to a report published in part by LightingEurope, the use of human-centric lighting helps improve sleep, increase productivity, accelerate healing and can even prevent some chronic diseases.
LEDs promise to play a central part in this exciting new field of research, and it will be interesting to see where this takes us in 2014 and beyond.
Visit Smart Lighting Engineering Research Center (ERC) at http://smartlighting.rpi.edu/