Sony is known for its technology in displays, TVs, and other consumer electronics, but its latest gadget unveiled recently in Japan is focusing on LED grow light technology, according to reports by Nikkei Technology and other tech media.

Neutrogena launched an economic LED facial mask on Monday that uses red and blue LEDs that can treat acne on people’s faces, reportedEliteDaily.

Osram Opto Semiconductors has produced a broad area laser diode with a lateral brilliance of up to 4.8 W/(mm*mrad) in the laboratory. The more brilliant the laser, the more efficiently it can inject its light into optical fibers. This then increases the output power of modules for pumping fiber lasers used for material processing. This progress is one of the results of the project “Integrated microoptical and microthermal elements for diode lasers of high brilliance” (IMOTHEB) which was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and which has now been successfully completed. 

In a 25,000-square-foot commercial office on the Rensselaer Technology Park campus in Troy, N.Y., scientists from the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are making plans to install LED lighting with fixture-integrated and network-connected lighting controls. The controls are being tested in a broad-based field evaluation to compare and quantify the additional benefits that connected lighting systems offer to users. LRC research scientists will investigate everything from ease of installation to user satisfaction. This is just one of many projects that the LRC’s Solid-State Lighting Program has undertaken to expand its research capabilities into new fields where solid-state lighting (SSL) can provide benefits.

Udaipur, a city in western Indian state Rajasthan, recently rolled out a massive LED streetlight replacement.

Plainville, a town located in Connecticut, U.S. is installing hundreds of LED streetlights with some featuring advanced connectivity technology, reported NBC Universal.

GE has unlocked the wide color gamut potential for mobile phones, tablets, PCs and TVs with its RadiantRed™ Technology, delivering greater overall color and the truest red color possible in LED-backlit LCD displays. The technology offers manufacturers the ability to create the brightest, most colorful LED HD displays available for a wide range of devices, including the next generation of mobile devices and high dynamic range (HDR) TVs.

Fingerprint recognition will soon become outdated in smartphone applications, in its place iris recognition will emerge as the new trending technology, and might even drive mobile payment developments, according to ABI Research’s latest report.

A team of LESA faculty and graduate students from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Boston University were recently awarded a US Patent titled, “Sensory Lighting System and Method for Characterizing an Illumination Space.” The patent describes how the LED lighting system in a space can detect occupants’ presence, location and pose without the use of cameras, thereby preserving the privacy of the room’s occupants.

Sogeprom, major property developer subsidiary of Société Générale Group and Lucibel, French LED lighting specialist, present a high bandwidth LiFi light prototype, a technology for wireless communication through light with game changing advantages vs WiFi.

At the OLEDs World Summit in San Diego, Kateeva, the OLED production equipment leader, reported that its YIELDjet™ FLEX system has earned a commanding lead in the key organic layer deposition step in the OLED Thin Film Encapsulation (TFE) market. Since the novel inkjet printing solution debuted in manufacturing in 2014, the company has secured the vast majority of available TFE orders. Customers include the world’s largest flat panel display manufacturers located in three key Asia regions.

The Fayetteville Public Works Commission (PWC) based in North Carolina, U.S. has finished 85% of its streetlight upgrade from sodium-vapor lights to brighter energy-saving LED bulbs, reported Fayobserver.

Lighting Science®, a global leader in next-generation LED lighting solutions, today announced the appointment of Jon Brody as Senior Director of Retail Sales. Brody comes to Lighting Science following senior positions at consumer electronics leaders Binatone (a licensee of Motorola) and Jawbone. In his new role, Brody will assume responsibility for expanding the company’s retail channels nationwide.

Men exposed to bright light therapy can receive a testosterone level boost that can lead to greater sexual satisfaction then those with a lower sex drive, according to a study presented by University of Siena in Italy at ECNP conference in Vienna.

Power management company Eaton announced that it is demonstrating its Streetworks wireless smart city solutions featuring LED outdoor luminaires with CIMCON’s intelligent, wireless controls, sensors and software products at the IES Street and Area Lighting Conference in Hollywood, California, on September 18 to 21 at the Lowes Hotel at booth 40 and 41.

The U.S. Department of Energy's GATEWAY program has released a new report on a pilot installation of tunable-white LED systems at a senior-care facility in Sacramento, CA. The installation took place at the ACC Care Center and was conducted by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), which invited GATEWAY to document the performance of the new lighting systems. Two of the primary goals identified by SMUD and ACC were to learn more about how tunable-white lighting affects the sleep patterns, nighttime safety, and other behaviors of the residents; and to better equip the staff to provide excellent care by improving the quality of lighting relative to the incumbent system.

Philips Lighting, a global leader in lighting, today announced its YellowDot program, opening its indoor positioning technology to work with LED luminaires from other lighting companies. The YellowDot program allows manufacturers to test and certify their LED luminaires to work with Philips’ indoor positioning technology, and is supported by the planned launch of three YellowDot Ready LED drivers (60, 100 and 150W) in Europe by end of the year. This move follows successful system launches in Europe and Middle-East, and addresses the growing demand from LED luminaire and retail customers for lighting based indoor positioning technology.

Serenity LED, a leader in the LED lighting industry, has announced that they have hired a new chief executive officer, Anthony Bianco. Bianco, the former president of Supreme Lobster & Seafood, has emerged from retirement to take over business development and day-to-day management of Serenity LED.

Pune, a city located in western Indian state of Maharashtra, will be replacing 70,000 streetlights with LEDs, reported Times of India.

LG Electronics announced it will be launching a quantum dot TV, along with its lineup of OLED TVs by 2017, reported The Korean Herald.

iView  and Forth Dimension Displays Limited (ForthDD) have entered into an agreement to develop, manufacture and sell Structured Light Projectors (SLPs). SLPs are a key component of 3D automated in-line optical inspection (3D AOI) equipment which is rapidly replacing 2D AOI in printed circuit board (PCB) manufacture. The ability to use 3D AOI to measure components in all three dimensions, on every PCB in real time, enables companies to improve yields and product quality while reducing wastage and costs.

Philips Lighting, a global leader in lighting, today shared results from over 50 research projects carried out at its GrowWise Center during its first year of operation. This facility at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven, the Netherlands aims to develop the blueprint for the city farm of the future and is the largest research facility of its kind with a total growing surface of 234 square meters. The research findings confirm that growth recipes can be successfully used to influence virtually any characteristic of crops, from taste, texture, smell and color to yields, growth speed, blossoming and much more.

The U.S. Department of Energy has recognized The Wendy's® Company and one of its franchisees, Wendco Group, for their partnership in the Better Buildings Challenge and for leadership in energy efficiency. The Wendy's Company has made a commitment to reduce energy consumption in U.S. company-owned restaurants by 20 percent per transaction by 2025.  Wendy's is also the first restaurant company to include franchisees in the Better Buildings Challenge. To date, six franchisees have joined and more than 570 company and franchisee operated restaurants are participating in this program. 

Shimane University and a light maker have teamed up to make a protoype LED light worn on the ear to help nurses free up their hands when working in dark rooms, reported Asahi Shinbun.

The widespread replacement of conventional bulbs in street lighting by energy-saving light-emitting diodes (LEDs) has considerable influence on bats as urban nocturnal hunters. Opportunistic bats lose hunting opportunities whereas light sensitive species benefit. This was shown in a recent study by Christian Voigt and Daniel Lewanzik from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW).

Apple’s rumored switch to Samsung supplied OLED panels could be short-lived, said Innolux CEO.

The following is a notification from Foshan Electrical and Lighting that the retrofit LED tubes do not comply with UL's safety requirements and are not authorized to bear the UL Mark for the U.S. and Canada.

Philips Lighting, a global leader in lighting, has today released findings that reveal the lack of awareness about the European Union’s ban on GU10 halogen spot lights, effective from September 1, 2016. The research found that three quarters (75%) of consumers do not know about the forthcoming ban, despite the fact that two in five (40%) are currently using halogen spot lights at home. The EU legislation was driven by the need for increased energy efficiency in order to reduce electricity consumption and cut CO2 emissions. Focus now turns to LEDs, such as the Philips LED spot classic WarmGlow, as a high-quality, alternative that looks, feels and behaves like a halogen, but is up to 90% more energy-efficient.

RetroSense Therapeutics, a privately-held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted U.S. patent Application No. 11/036,629, entitled “Method for Augmenting Vision in Persons Suffering from Photoreceptor Cell Degeneration.” RetroSense is the exclusive licensee of this intellectual property for augmenting vision from photoreceptor cell degeneration through a license with Massachusetts General Hospital. This patent broadly covers methods for restoring or improving vision using optogenetic approaches. The allowed claims cover the use of a broad range of opsins and rhodopsins in vision restoration.

Since September 2009, energy consumption-relevant light sources have been disappearing step-by-step from the market. This year it’s the turn of the high voltage reflector tungsten halogen lamps as best-known representatives. These are no longer permitted to be put into circulation in the European Union from 1 September 2016 as part of the third step of Directive (EU) 1194/2012.