A recent CNET report has noted Philips Hue latest operation software update in the form has ousted third-party smart bulbs, due to interoperability issues.

The Zhaga Consortium has published a new specification for LED drivers that are used in combination with separate LED modules. The introduction of standardized form-factors for LED drivers is expected to bring significant benefits for LED luminaire makers, including enhanced second-sourcing options and the ability to interchange different LED modules and drivers independently.

Sensor Electronic Technology (SETi) has announced that it has acquired the commercial operations of UV LED developer and manufacturer, Nitek, strengthening its position as global leaders in the UV LED marketplace.

On December 10th, SEOUL VIOSYS (President Jaejo Kim,www.seoulviosys.com ), a global leading company in UV LED solutions, announced that they provided the Violeds, a space station cleaning technology, to Professor Soon-Bong Hwang, Korea’s leading expert in Hepatitis C research, and his research team (National Research Laboratory for Hepatitis C virus (NRL)) at Ilsong Institute of Life Sciences of Hallym University and the research team found that 99.9% of Hepatitis C virus was eliminated after a 5 minute-long exposure to the UV LED package with the application of the Violeds technology from the results of experiments that measured the effect of sterilization of Hepatitis C virus.

A research team headed by Ivy Hsu, Professor at Department of Bioscience Technology of Chung Yuan Christian University is betting on using LEDs to replace expensive laser lights in cancer surgery, reported CTimes.

With the help of light-emitting diodes as small as neurons, University of Michigan researchers are unlocking the secrets of neural pathways in the brain.

European company Carbodeon has been granted a US patent for its technology which enables detonation-synthesised diamond particles (nanodiamonds) to be combined with polymers for use in fields such as personal electronics, LED lighting, automotive and machine tools.

Seoul Semiconductor announced that it has prevailed in a series of patent invalidation actions against Japanese lens maker Enplas also concluded royalty-bearing licenses regarding LED technology with North American television makers, which demonstrates the strength of Seoul’s LED technology and intellectual property program.

In October, GE launched Current, a startup focusing on bringing to market a holistic energy-as-a-service offering absent from the industry today. Former IBM Watson executive John Gordon just became Current’s first chief digital officer.

Nobel physics laureate Shuji Nakamura recently said importance of Ultraviolet LEDs will grow as the next generation LED technology can also help prevent the spread of deadly diseases, and possibly eradicate them, according to a Korea Times report.

MIT engineers have designed what may be the Band-Aid of the future: a sticky, stretchy, gel-like material that can incorporate temperature sensors, LED lights, and other electronics, as well as tiny, drug-delivering reservoirs and channels. The “smart wound dressing” releases medicine in response to changes in skin temperature and can be designed to light up if, say, medicine is running low.

World leaders gathered in Paris last week for the 21st UN climate conference, known as COP21. At the meeting, U.S. Energy Secretary Dr. Ernest Moniz highlighted several solutions to reduce carbon emissions, including launching a Climate Energy Ministerial initiative to encourage the adoption of LED bulbs worldwide.

At COP21 heads of some of the planet's biggest brands - Unilever, Google, IKEA, Philips and Marks & Spencer - along with policymakers from around the world, shared their core commitments to decarbonizing. Collectively they send a clear message that  business is expecting a long-term goal from the global climate talks in Paris next week, in order to make longer-term low carbon investment decisions.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has published an Apple patent application for integrating displays into woven fabrics, reported 9to5Mac.

Hybrid optoelectronic devices based on blends of hard and soft semiconductors can combine the properties of the two material types, opening the possibility for devices with novel functionality and properties, such as cheap and scalable solution-based processing methods. However, the efficiency of such devices is limited by the relatively slow electronic communication between the material components that relies on charge transfer, which is susceptible to losses occurring at the hybrid interface.

An Estonian start-up Velmenni in Tallinn is planning to launch a Li-Fi LED bulbs within three to four years, reported BBC.

Instrument Systems GmbH Munich is a leader indeveloping and manufacturing high-precision light measurement systems. With the new offer of stray light correction during the calibration of array spectrometers, Instrument Systems now is the first company to serve the broad market. By including a stray light correction matrix in the calibration process, it is possible to suppress the stray light during the measurement by an order of magnitude down to 10-5. A 10% higher sensitivity in the UV range after stray light corrected calibration leads to about 3-4% higher accuracy in the radiometric measurement. The more accurate determination of the radiometric values of UV LEDs facilitates their characterization and development, and supports the various applications of these radiation sources, for example, in the field of coating, curing, disinfection or biomedicine.

An emerging class of atomically thin materials known as monolayer semiconductors has generated a great deal of buzz in the world of materials science. Monolayers hold promise in the development of transparent LED displays, ultra-high efficiency solar cells, photo detectors and nanoscale transistors. Their downside? The films are notoriously riddled with defects, killing their performance.

LG Display, the world’s leading innovator of display technologies, announced today that it will invest KRW1.84 trillion (US $ 1.60 billion) to begin building a new  panel plant in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Korea, with production expected to commence in the first half of 2018.

Physicists from the University of Exeter in collaboration with the ICFO Institute in Barcelona have used a ground-breaking new technique to trap light at the surface of the wonder material graphene using only pulses of laser light.

pureLiFi, the light communications technology company that leads the market in development and commercialization of LiFi (the high speed, bidirectional, networked and mobile wireless communications using light) and Lucibel, the French company that specializes in the design of new-generation lighting solutions based on the LED technology, are to co-develop and market Europe's first, fully industrialized LiFi luminaire.

The Aurora Group announced three key changes to its brand structure and market strategy to ensure the delivery of its new corporate mission – creating ‘Value Beyond Illumination’. This reflects Aurora’s commitment to the integration of new smart technologies in LED lighting and the associated ‘Software as a Service’ (SaaS) proposition, which is set to change the way lighting is sold and monetized.

Large UK home enhancer and garden retailer issued a notice recently recalling “Baby start LED night lights” that under certain circumstances could trigger a small explosion.

The sluggish global economy triggered the downtrend in the LED industry in 2015, and next year is expected to be just as challenging for manufacturers in the backlight and general lighting market, said Katsuyuki Akutagawa, Chief Legal & IP Officer and Company Board Director of Nichia (the company) at a press conference held in Mandarin Oriental Taipei, earlier Wednesday. 

Highlights this week: The India market’s demands for star labelled efficient products has doubled with falling prices and increased participation of private companies, as the country follows its commitment to lower carbon footprint ahead of climate change talks to take place in Paris later this month. Following Osram’s announcement last week that the company is to invest EUR 1 billion in a new Malaysia-based plant for LED chips, a leading investor in Osram expressed opposing opinions about Osram’s latest strategy. LEDinside’s analysts initial estimates that about 30% of the EUR 1 billion investment will go into constructing the factory, and probably 30% in chip processing while Osram might be investing around EUR 400 million in MOCVD equipment. ON Semiconductor and Fairchild Semiconductor announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement for ON Semiconductor to acquire Fairchild for in an all cash transaction valued at approximately US $2.4 billion.

A team of Florida State University materials researchers has developed a new type of light-emitting diode, or LED, using an organic-inorganic hybrid that could lead to cheaper, brighter and mass produced lights and displays in the future.

Pro-Lite Technology Ltd (Cranfield, UK) today announced that it is reducing the cost of photometry with the launch of its Labsphere LFC-Series of Integrating Sphere Photometers. LFC integrating spheres are a new, entry-level solution for lighting product manufacturers concerned with value-for-money. Although LFC systems are probably the most affordable like-for-like integrating sphere systems on the market, Pro-Lite is keen to stress that there has been no compromise in terms of quality, performance or accuracy of its new photometers.

As India rolls out its nationwide LED streetlight upgrade programs, some poor quality LED streetlight installations have disappointed the public.

Building on wireless technology that has the potential to interfere with pain, scientists have developed flexible, implantable devices that can activate — and, in theory, block — pain signals in the body and spinal cord before those signals reach the brain.

Most Christmas lights, televisions and flashlights have one thing in common: they’re made with light emitting diodes (LEDs). LEDs are widely used for a variety of applications and have been a popular, more efficient alternative to fluorescent and incandescent bulbs for the past few decades. Two University of Utah researchers have now found a way to create LEDs from food and beverage waste. In addition to utilizing food and beverage waste that would otherwise decompose and be of no use, this development can also reduce potentially harmful waste from LEDs generally made from toxic elements.