Creating Healthier Spaces with ‘Smarter’ Disinfecting LEDs
–The convergence of continuous disinfection and IoT/Connected Technologies to be focus of presentation at 2019 Strategies in Light 20th Anniversary Conference–
Troy, NY (February 25, 2019) – Imagine the lighting in a food processing facility detecting the presence of E. coli, or lighting in a gym detecting MRSA, or lighting in a kitchen detecting salmonella. Then imagine that lighting system safely and effectively targeting and killing those deadly germs. The promising new frontier of smart technologies optimizing the antibacterial capacity of LEDs will be the focus of a presentation by two experts in the field
LESA Graduate research work published in Soft Matter for nano-transfer Adhesion work.
Michael Deagen (’18) discusses the size effects in plasma-enhanced nano-transfer adhesion. His work explores a new process of combing plasma bonding and layer-by-layer transfer molding that drives both techniques to the nanoscale. To learn more, click here.
LESA Researcher First to Receive DOE Manufacturing Innovator Challenge Award
(Troy, New York) Rensselaer doctoral graduate and LESA researcher Michael Deagen (’18) is the winner of the 2019 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Manufacturing Innovator Challenge competition for crowdsourced solid-state lighting (SSL) manufacturing concepts. The Manufacturing Innovator Challenge competition is a new contest launched by the DOE last October and Deagen is the first recipient for his submission entitled, “Layer-by-Layer Stamping for Developing Next-Generation Optical Waveguides.”
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LESA Researcher Receives DOE Manufacturing Innovator Challenge Award
Rensselaer doctoral graduate and LESA researcher wins 2019 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Manufacturing Innovator Challenge competition. The Manufacturing Innovator Challenge competition is a new contest launched by the DOE last October and Deagen is the first recipient for his submission entitled, “Layer-by-Layer Stamping for Developing Next-Generation Optical Waveguides.” (more…)
LESA Researcher Explores LEDs for Photons, Physiology and Food
Dr. George “Bud” Brainard with colleagues from Thomas Jefferson University explore how the color, intensity, and distribution of light can now be controlled with unprecedented precision, enabling light to be used both as a signal for specific physiological responses in humans and plants and as an efficient fuel for fresh food production in recent article in Nature Magazine. To learn more, click here.
LESA’s Pod Sensors Enable Powerful Time of Flight Tracking
Time of Flight (ToF) sensing uses the speed of light to measure distance. It plays an essential role in technologies ranging from safe, autonomous self-driving cars to smart phones with facial recognition capabilities. The LESA Center has pioneered and patented (US9,363,859) the use of lighting-based ToF for privacy preserving indoor occupant position measurement. LESA’s precise pattern recognition methodology led to the development of extremely robust and proprietary algorithms that enable its ToF sensors to detect and respond to changes in occupancy instantly.
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LESA’s Pod Sensors Enable Powerful Time of Flight Tracking
The LESA Center has pioneered and patented the use of lighting-based ToF for privacy preserving indoor occupant position measurement. LESA’s precise pattern recognition methodology led to the development of extremely robust algorithms that enable its ToF sensors to detect and respond to changes in occupancy instantly as part of a $2.7M Department of Energy (DOE) ARPA-E award to develop new, cost effective occupancy sensing ToF integrated circuits. LESA has now successfully designed and tested compact, low-cost ToF “pod” sensors for localized occupant counting and tracking. The pod sensors use an array of 9 state-of-the-art, single pixel ToF sensors to cover a wide area. They detect the movement and height of objects in their wide field of view allowing people to move around freely and securely without sacrificing their privacy.
LESA’s ToF pod sensors would enable any building to locate its occupants at any given time without revealing a person’s identity or activity, make real-time adjustments to building services, and send alerts for discrepancies. In an elder care setting, the building could know if someone had fallen or wandered off. During an emergency, a hotel might be able to alert emergency responders of exactly how many people evacuated and how many remained behind.
While still in final development, LESA has shown that its goal of creating a miniature ToF pod sensor that can be commercialized for a marginal cost for the private sector is viable. In the interim, LESA is eager to engage with potential beta-test users to gather feedback on system design and performance, as well as technology transfer and commercialization strategies. LESA ToF pods may also be useful to researchers and applications specialists interested in applying ToF concepts to their own fields. For more information on the pod sensors, or to become a LESA member, visit the Center website or contact Leah Scott at scottl2@rpi.edu or 518-276-4010.
LESA Sr. Researcher Participates in IES Podcast on Plant Science
Dr. Tessa Pocock shares insights on plant science possibilities with light in a recent podcast from the Illuminating Engineering Society. To listen, click here.
LESA Research on Circadian Function Featured in Physiology & Behavior Journal
Dr. Hanifin from Thomas Jefferson University published for his work on randomized trial of polychromatic blue-enriched light for circadian phase shifting, melatonin suppression, and alerting responses. To learn more, click here.
