A new generation of lighting devices based on light-emitting diodes (LEDs) will supplant the common light bulb in coming years, the paper suggests. In addition to the environmental and cost benefits of LEDs, the technology is expected to enable a wide range of advances in areas as diverse as healthcare, transportation systems, digital displays, and computer networking.

Some heavy statistics from the article

If all of the world’s light bulbs were replaced with LEDs for a period of 10 years, Schubert and Kim estimate the following benefits would be realized:

• Energy savings of 1.9 × 10²⁰ joules
• Electrical energy consumption would be reduced by terawatt hours
• Financial savings of $1.83 trillion
• Carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced by 10.68 gigatons
• Crude oil consumption would be reduced by 962 million barrels
• The number of required global power plants would be reduced by 280

Pretty crazy stuff. We love LED’s and are happy to be ahead of the curve when it comes to dedicated LED News.

We have a very special christmas gift for our readers. MrBeams has supplied us with a coupon code for free shipping on their LED products for the month of December. Perfect for the holidays.

When you order, please use the coupon code “NEWLIGHT” or, follow this link directly:

http://mrbeams.com/index.asp?DC=NEWLIGHT

Happy Holidays, hopefully they’ll be brighter with some LED Lighting.

FobSUN has been in the market for many years and knows what they are doing when it comes to LED lighting.

FOB SUN Lights

The new LED lighting that they have released has the following specifications:

Voltage: 12V/24V AC/DC, 110-240VAC
Output Current: DC350-700mA
Power: 3*1W, 3*3W, 5*1W, 5*3W, 8*1W, 8*3W, 12*1W
Beam angle: 8/15/30/45/60 degree
Color: Warm-white, White, Cool White, RGB
C/T: 2000K-8500K

Advantages of these led lighting options:

1. Adopt much more high power CREE LEDs as light source: (single LED)1W LED White: 90lm, Warm White 75lm.
   3W LED White: 160lm, Warm White:120lm.

2. All the lamps(12V/24VDC) can be built in PWM signal to be dimmable,
   adjust the brightness via remote controller conveniently.

3. The price are more competitive now.

If you would like to purchase these led lights, or want more information on led lighting or led technology, please contact Susan:

Susan
Fobsun Electronics Inc.
Tel: 86-755-61570256-806
Fax: 86-755-6157-0069
E-mail: susanl@sunpled.com
Website: www.sunpled.com

They are available in multiple brightnesses too:

Red/Yellow: 350~420 mcd, Blue: 350~450 mcd,
Green: 1000~1200 mcd, White/Warm White: 1400~1600 mcd

Check out the FobSun website for more info

The idea of LED illuminated tiles is a good one in theory, but I’m afraid it’ll end up like fiber optic lighting and Bluetooth headsets in that people with no taste will take it over, ruining it for the rest of us. The waterproof tiles snap together Lego style and have a repeating connectivity scheme, much like model train tracks, except these light up and illuminate your kitchen or bathroom. And the layouts aren’t static, they can be changed at a whim. I’m hoping that some people exercise restraint if these ever come to market.

While a spinning LED globe or an LED-adorned Roomba is all well and good for a few kicks, if you really want to turn your living room into a light show you may want to consider something like Brilldea’s LED Painter system, which can apparently be put to use in a whole host of different applications, including the LED windows pictured above. At the heart of the system is a 16 channel RGB LED controller, which lets you connect up to 48 independent LEDs, and gives you the ability to daisy chain multiple boards together if you really want to blow things out. As you can see in the video after the break, the effects possible are fairly impressive, even if they’re a bit lacking in the subtlety department. [Via MAKE:Blog]

Here’s the article.

Koncept has released a new series of their I-Tower LED floor lamps. It’s good LED floor lamps becoming widely available. These lamps use the latest generation of high-power LEDs, which means they are brighter than the older I-Tower lamps, but they actually uses less power (8.8 watts). There are two models: a daylight version (~5500 Kelvin) and a warm-white version (~3500 Kelvin). The lamps have a built-in 4 step dimmer. Koncept says the lifespan of these lamps is “at least 40,000 operating hours”. They are available from Amazon for $154.

I’ve been testing the Tri-L LED light by Altus Lumen. I have to admit that this light has become one of my favorite gadgets. The design of the Tri-L shows great attention to detail. The metal housing is made out of 85% recycled magnesium which is lighter than aluminum, so the Tri-L feels solid yet light in your hand. When folded up, the light acts as a flashlight, and measures just 110×60x20mm, so it fits nicely in a pocket. When unfolded, the light becomes its own 360 degree tripod stand, and can be used as a serious worklight or booklight.

 

The Tri-L’s hinges are also impressive – they are made with fraction joins instead of screws. The light can be fixed precisely in any orientation you set.

The Tri-L has a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which can be recharged using the provided USB charger, or via mini-USB cable attached to a computer. The runtime is around 1.8 hours for the flashlight, and around 8 hours for worklight once the battery is fully charged. The runtime can be extended with an optional extended battery pack.

The LEDs are latest high-intensity models and they are very bright. The worklight lit up my entire garage, and the flashlight is certainly bright enough for my needs.

The Tri-L will also warn you when it’s about to run out of power. It flashes for 30 seconds when its about to shut off — you have 30 seconds before the spotlight turns off, or 10 minutes before the flashlight runs out.

The manufacturer, Altus Lumen, state that 75% of the Tri-L is recyclable, and is built for easy disassembly. It is made with non-toxic components, and is LOHAS compliant. It is packaged in an eco-friendly carboard container.

The Tri-L sells for $99 and is available from Altus Lumen.

Here’s the story from the NYT..

If you’re looking for the latest advancements in incandescent light bulb technology, one place you don’t want to go is to a lighting trade show. I learned that in about five minutes last week, while touring the aisles of Lightfair, the lighting industry’s big convention, held this year in Las Vegas.

In case you didn’t know it, Thomas Edison’s invention, in use for more than 100 years to illuminate virtually everything, is quickly heading for the exits. What will eventually take its place is the light-emitting diode (L.E.D.) bulb, made up of tiny light sources the size of a head of a pin that use a fraction of a regular light bulb’s electricity, produce little heat, and last for tens of thousands of hours of use.
L.E.D.

This is not some comic book dream. The exhibits at Lightfair were filled with new L.E.D. products, many shipping now: standard-type room lights, under-counter lights, commercial spotlights, garden lights and huge L.E.D. displays designed to light the Empire State Building.

I saw L.E.D.’s controlled by a cell phone. Forgot to turn on your porch light? Just dial in a command.

L.E.D.’s are not widely used today because of their high cost: An L.E.D. bulb can run as high as $90. Even if they would save money in the long run, few people are willing to spend that much up front.

But costs will come down, and when they do, expect to see the end of what is in essence an interim technology: the compact fluorescent bulb. Fluorescents, while using much less power than incandescent light bulbs, are sometimes too bulky, often can’t be dimmed and produce light that is less pleasing than incandescents.

L.E.D.’s, on the other hand, can produce literally millions of colors, which you will be able to witness yourself at the end of this year, when Philips, the Dutch electronics giant, introduces its $199 Living Colors product into the U.S. market.

Living Colors is Philips’ L.E.D. Trojan horse, an electronic lava lamp that uses L.E.D.’s to project a palette of 16 million colors against a wall. Operated with a remote control, you change the projected color by touching a point on the iPod-like color wheel, then push other buttons to decrease the brightness or alter the color’s saturation.

The company has already sold 250,000 Living Color products in Europe; in the U.S., it will offer the regular model plus a $79 mini version that offers a limited palette and no remote.

I’ve been playing with one for several weeks, and after some initial resistance to its corniness, I’ve taken a liking to it. Every night, I set the color of one wall of our bedroom to a different hue, hopefully matching our moods. It’s a nice change from standard yellow light and gives some added dimension to the space.

Philips points out that you can set up a chain of Living Color units around a room and control them all with a single remote. For me, that’s just a bit over the top. I don’t fancy turning my house into a Las Vegas facade.

A new gadget promises to make jet lag a thing of the past. The Re-Time Jet Lag Glasses look like any other pair of glasses, but are fitted with LED lights that help reduce the effects of an altered body clock.

Developed by a sleep researcher, Re-Time uses no ultra violet radiation, and relies on the blue-green colors emitted by the LEDs to affect changes in the body clock or circadian rhythm, which causes jet lag. They’re portable, inexpensive and battery operated with a single 9-volt battery good for up to 20 hours of use.

It’s not just frequent fliers who can benefit from Re-Time. Those who work on night shifts or are battling winter blues can also use these to set their internal clock straight.

Plus, they look awesome. That is, if you’re into the “Tom Cruise in Minority Report” look or you like trying to convince fellow passengers on the red-eye that you’re from the future.