I am aware that the calendar says there are three more days in November, but the experience of website analytics collection shows the slower trend at the end of this month won’t affect what I’m looking at now. 😊 The Internet of Things (IoT) is indirectly making headlines, while lighting applications outside the realm of improved visual acuity remain top of mind as well. Let’s discuss the top four stories this month.
1. Ams CEO: Osram’s Digital business “not strategic to us”
Despite the dizziness caused by much circling around this acquisition coming to its conclusion, our readers still find time to click and read every fresh development. Not one but two stories on Osram and ams feature in our most-read November news. The first covers some unexpected turns, as a financial results call revealed that Osram’s Digital group was its lowest performer in the fourth quarter, a day after the dismissal of an executive who was key to Osram’s IoT push. And ams CEO Alexander Everke appeared to be considering the company’s departure from network-connected lighting, or at least minimizing its efforts in that area, our Mark Halper reported.
2. Osram to ams: Dominate us
About a week before the prior linked story, Osram shareholders voted to upgrade ams’ takeover into one that grants “domination” status to the sensor company, and allows more access to Osram financial resources. The long trail of this story began in summer 2019 and it isn’t quite over yet, as the Q4 financial story indicates. The merging of staff, facilities, and product development resources will likely unveil redundancies and continue to put weaker profit sectors in the hot seat, so it will remain to be seen what kind of company strategy emerges.
3. PDC develops UV-C-enabled disinfection system for medical radiology bores and tables
As all things ultraviolet (UV) continue to dominate in terms of industry focus, Maury Wright came across a novel implementation of UV LEDs in the disinfection application: sanitizing medical diagnostic equipment. We of course think about instruments and exam room surfaces that are used constantly and recognize the need to reduce contact with pathogens, but we hadn’t yet seen an example of UV germicidal systems for the interior of bore-based scanning systems such as MRI and CT. A well-established radiology-lab supply specialist, PDC Facilities, was behind the UV-C LED design that delivers a dose of 40 mJ/cm2 from a circular apparatus placed inside the imaging equipment. Said to disinfect 99.9% of all pathogens in mere minutes, the system could add a new layer of safety to patient imaging.
4. Lumileds and BIOS partner to deliver more efficient circadian lighting
Finally, we can’t forget circadian lighting, which has begun to move forward with greater investment in technology from the solid-state lighting (SSL) sector. Recently, a joint effort in LED efficacy was announced by BIOS and Lumileds — the former based on pioneering circadian research done in conjunction with NASA and the latter of course a top LED manufacturer. Together they said a new mid-power LED with a significant energy peak at 490 nm in the cyan region would offer improved efficacy in BIOS SkyBlue-based circadian lighting systems during the daytime cycle. What’s most enlightening is that the companies will offer the LED to BIOS Illuminated licensed partners (currently numbering more than 20) as well. Parties involved expect the collaboration to strengthen the supply chain and ease time to market for high-quality lighting that supports circadian health.
That’s a wrap on November. I wish you all an excellent weekend!
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Carrie Meadows | Editor-in-Chief, LEDs Magazine
Carrie Meadows has more than 20 years of experience in the publishing and media industry. She worked with the PennWell Technology Group for more than 17 years, having been part of the editorial staff at Solid State Technology, Microlithography World, Lightwave, Portable Design, CleanRooms, Laser Focus World, and Vision Systems Design before the group was acquired by current parent company Endeavor Business Media.
Meadows has received finalist recognition for LEDs Magazine in the FOLIO Eddie Awards, and has volunteered as a judge on several B2B editorial awards committees. She received a BA in English literature from Saint Anselm College, and earned thesis honors in the college's Geisel Library. Without the patience to sit down and write a book of her own, she has gladly undertaken the role of editor for the writings of friends and family.
Meadows enjoys living in the beautiful but sometimes unpredictable four seasons of the New England region, volunteering with an animal shelter, reading (of course), and walking with friends and extended "dog family" in her spare time.
