LG Display Co., Ltd. announced Tuesday that it has succeeded in developing the world’s thinnest 42- and 47-inch LCD TV panels. The 42- and 47-inch LCD TV panels employ LG Display’s edge-lit LED backlight system instead of the commonly used CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp) to realize a panel thickness of 5.9mm.

LEDs can destroy skin cancer cells by bathing cream-applied skin with red light, according to a recent article in the British national newspaper the Daily Mail. A plastic strip embedded with LEDs from Polymertronics can patch up wounds and destroy skin cancer cells by zapping them with light, said the report.

In London, LED lighting has been introduced to replace the conventional lighting at all of the city’s roadside ticket machines, reducing 75 per cent of the energy consumption, according to Transport for London (TfL).

Power Integrations, a manufacturer of high-voltage integrated circuits for energy-efficient power conversion, just released a new engineering report (DER-212) describing a 92%-efficient power supply for LED streetlight applications.

In Japan, a digital signage system using OLED panels is being tested at Ebisu station this week. The test is carried out by JR East Group's JR East Mechatronics Co Ltd and East Japan Marketing & Communications Inc. Last year at the same ticket gate, the two companies tested a digital signage using color electronic paper modules made by Hitachi Ltd and Fujitsu Ltd, and the pixel counts of the modules were 320 x 640 and 400 x 600, respectively.

Welland, Canada has recently approved the resolutions to require developers to use LED fixtures in new streetlight installations, and is looking at the replacement of existing fixtures with LEDs. Located in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada, Welland became an LED City in September 2008, and is leading the way in new initiatives.

San Jose, Calif., plans to convert 125 lights in the city’s Hillview North neighborhood by June 2009 in its second LED streetlight pilot project. The new streetlights will use energy efficient LED lamps equipped with the locally based Echelon’s power line networking technology and segment controllers. The LED Streetlights connected with the Echelon’s intelligent controls for smart networks can help reduce energy and maintenance costs while improving light quality, decreasing light pollution and providing increased safety, according to the company.

TT electronics Optek Technology has developed a new family of visible LED backlighting strips that offer high intensity, reliable and cost-effective backlighting solution. Designated OPA775 and OPA776, the "Jacob's Ladder" series of backlighting strips are offered with daylight white LEDs and designed specifically for illumination of small- and medium-size display applications where lighting intensity and reliability are imperative.

In the Trafford Centre in Manchester UK, LED luminaires from OSRAM’s innovative new range have been used to create a unique shopping experience.

In New Mexico of the U.S., traffic and pedestrian lights at intersections throughout the state will be retrofitted with LEDs in the State Energy Program with $5 million federal stimulus money. The incandescent bulbs will be replaced with LED bulbs, which use significantly less electricity. The documented savings from switching to LED bulbs at a traffic intersection is at least 80% compared to incandescent bulbs, according to Gov. Bill Richardson. Communities will see an immediate reduction in their electric bills.

In Europe cities like Berlin, Prague and Warsaw, the ancient gas street lamps are to be replaced with LED lamps, which will cut power consumption by more than 90% without altering the old-world look or the light quality of the gas-driven fixtures. The retrofit is designed by Berlin-based Braun Schaltgeräte & Service with assistance from LED solutions provider Future Lighting Solutions. And the first eight LED models were recently installed on Berlin’s Alexanderplatz public square.

Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. yesterday added to its Little Star® family with a new, automotive qualified 1-W white LED that combines extraordinarily high brightness with a compact package outline. The Little Star® VLMW711U2U3XV additionally offers a low thermal resistance and high luminous intensity for a wide range of applications.

A riot of color in a compact package - Smallest multicolour LED extends OSRAM product portfolio

Luminus Devices, Inc. announced the introduction of the CSM-360-W PhlatLight LED, the newest in a series of white LEDs designed specifically for general lighting applications. Luminus said the CSM-360-W combines the benefits of large monolithic chips in a multi-chip configuration to deliver a Chip-on-Board LED package capable of delivering 6,000 lumens.

Advanced Analogic Technologies, Inc., a developer of power management integrated circuits, announced yesterday a new set of flash and backlight White LED (WLED) drivers for the highly competitive feature phone market. Offering new efficiencies in power usage in highly compact packages, the AAT3176 flash driver and the AAT3351 white LED driver promise to help handset designers extend battery life and reduce product footprint.

Seoul Semiconductor announced on May 12 the launch of its 120lm/W high-efficiency, SMD type LED for general lighting. The LCW100Z1 delivers over 120lm/W with an enhanced primary optic including enhanced heat transfer and the metal substrate, according to the company, while the pricing of the LCW100Z1 is comparable to similar-sized Chip LED’s that can tolerate only half of the current.

CAP-XX Limited, developer of the supercapacitor-driven BriteFlash Power Architecture, recently announced availability of supercapacitor-optimized LED flash drivers from several power management integrated circuit (PMIC) companies to facilitate design of high-power LED flash units for high-resolution camera phones and digital cameras.

Savage Marine, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of lighting to the yacht market has halved the energy consumption of its ultra bright interior and exterior downlighters by adopting state of the art 10W LED technology from Marl to replace halogen lights.

Light Emitting Diodes (LED) are being installed in India’s Nagpur to replace incandescent lamps for major traffic signals, as part of the traffic improvement plan of the city.

Carmanah Technologies introduced its next generation of solar-powered LED lights at the LightFair International tradeshow and conference in New York City. As part of a new "General Illumination" (GI) product line, the company featured a range of solar-powered lights for street and parking lot applications, including the new EverGEN 1500, along with a preview of the company's new EverGEN 1700-series design. 

UPEC Electronic Corp., well known for innovative ways of combining design and LED technology, announced an enhanced version of Fish Lamp. LED technology is now regarded as the lighting solution of the future. Its unique characteristics, such as low energy consumption and extreme long-life, make the use of this technology attractive in terms of practical lighting, decoration and the special application as well.  

On Lightfair International 2009, the lighting industry’s annual trade show at the Javits Center in New York last week, LED bulbs and fixtures dominated nearly every booth on the show floor. Though most people think of LEDs as the lights blinking from inside electronic devices, they are being used increasingly to light rooms.

The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) of Hong Kong will spend about HK$270million on green upgrades for Wan Chai's Lee Tung Street and Kwun Tong town center. The green initiative is to encourage developers and the community to adopt more environment-friendly practices, authority chairman Barry Cheung Chun- yuen said Sunday.

The City Council of San Ramon, U.S. will consider another application for federal economic stimulus money for a $215,600 grant to replace city parking lot lights and street lights with energy efficient LED ones. According to a city staff report, installing the energy efficient lights could reduce city energy costs by 50 percent. LED street lights also last 50,000 to 80,000 hours longer than traditional lights.

In Tenderloin district of San Francisco, U.S., the city government has installed "smart" LED (light-emitting diode) street lights, which is part of a wide effort by the city to cut spending and reduce energy use. The LED panels are connected to servers over existing power lines, from which the city manages the operation of the LEDs. Based on data retrieved from the panels, management consoles can remotely turn off or dim lights depending on time, weather and traffic.

Taiwan’s first Automotive Optic Design Center (AODC) has recently been inaugurated by the Automotive Research & Testing Center (ARTC) of Taiwan, with the aim of vertically integrating the island’s automotive-lighting industry. ARTC president Joe Huang (second from left) signed IAH and DLS technical-transfer and consulting agreements with private companies.

TT electronics Optek Technology has just announced its new multi-chromatic tuned light engines to provide lighting designers with highly consistent LED color matching capabilities. The company’s chromatic tuning process produces solid-state lighting solutions with high module-to-module consistency, such that differences in color temperature of each light engine are indistinguishable to the human eye.

AIXTRON and Semileds has just announced their successful cooperated fabrication of GaN-based blue LED chips on 6-inch sapphire wafers. Not only were optical results encouraging but also the process is sufficiently close to production compatibility that the company should soon be able to reap the rewards from larger wafers.

The 20th annual LIGHTFAIR® International (LFI)Innovation Awards (LIA) ceremony took place before the opening of the 2009 LFI trade show on May 5. The industry’s most innovative products and designs introduced in the past 12 months were celebrated at the Awards. Each individual product among the 218 submissions LFI received this year was judged by an independent panel of renowned lighting professionals, and the winners are: