The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute recently released a series of short videos on the science of lighting for human health.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Mariana Figueiro, PhD, Professor and Director of the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. The topic: healthy lighting for healthcare buildings. The responses informed an article I wrote for the May 2018 issue of ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR.

Hubbell Lighting’s Captivate is an illuminated mirror solution suitable for a wide range of applications including healthcare, hospitality, commercial and residential. It is available in four standard sizes and three light color temperatures, all with a CRI>80). It is ADA-compliant with a low-profile housing and can be dimmed with 0-10V controls.

A new LRC study investigated the effectiveness of Apple’s Night Shift screen setting for lessening the impacts of nighttime iPad use on melatonin suppression, a marker of the circadian system. The study found changing screen color alone is insufficient for limiting the impact of portable electronic devices used at night, and that screen brightness should also be reduced.

The lighting industry continues to undergo historic change marked by extraordinary trends enabled by rapid adoption of LED lighting. Connectivity and networked control, the Internet of Things, lighting and health, restrictive energy codes, and rebates are all driving change. For electrical contractors that compete based on lighting expertise, this presents the challenge of reviewing one’s skillsets and learning what needs learning to remain competitive. In this informative roundtable, ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR talked to six lighting industry experts to find out what impact these trends are having and where they’re going.

The Illuminating Engineering Society’s (IES) 2018 Research Symposium, themed, “Light and Human Health,” will be held April 8-10, 2018 at the Crowne Plaza Atlanta and SimTigrate Design Lab in Atlanta, GA. Registration is now open.

Hubbell Lighting’s Remedi™ LED multi-function bed light features four distinct optical compartments to eliminate the need to physically move any portion of the luminaire housing to utilize key lighting functions. This is a radical departure from the traditional solutions and an innovation that allows the healthcare professional to more efficiently accomplish critical patient evaluations, eliminates a potentially hazardous activity over the patient, and reduces the chance of contamination.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Scott Roos, VP Design, Downlight, Accent and Trac Products, Acuity Brands Lighting. The topic: trends in LED downlights. I’m happy to share his responses with you here.

Among the changes taking place in healthcare is a trend in hospitals toward designing larger, single-patient suites that consist of a bedroom and bathroom, rather than the traditional shared rooms. A recently completed DOE-funded R&D project carried out by Philips Lighting Research North America sought to redefine lighting for healthcare patient suites by developing an innovative LED lighting system that not only was 40% more energy-efficient than traditional fluorescent incumbent technologies, but also met all of the visual and non-visual needs of patients, caregivers, and visitors while improving the overall patient experience.