Barcelona, 23 July.- At home, in the office, using public transport ..., people spend 90% of the day exposed to artificial lighting in different environments. "We invite you to spend an hour a day in the sun; just as we go on diets, or do sports, we need the properties of sunshine", explains Javier Iglesias, CEO of Kumux, a spin-off of the University of Barcelona that markets artificial intelligence technology developed over four years at the University of Barcelona's Faculty of Physics. Javier Iglesias adds that, "not following a good sunlight diet affects our routine and our state of mind, as our brain uses lighting information to fill us up with energy or relax us. We are now able to endow artificial lighting with the benefits of natural light".
The lighting market is currently working on improving illumination through hardware. In contrast, Kumux has just launched the 2.0 version of its spectral simulation software which makes it possible to create differential lighting —beneficial to both people's health and plant growth— by means of patented algorithms. "Through an algorithm developed in collaboration with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), the platform allows lighting companies to create their own customized lighting solutions," says Javier Iglesias. This software is compatible with different systems, it is designed so that it can be integrated into any light fitting and control platform, and companies are welcome to perform a trial run for free.
At the moment, the company already works with several national and international clients, most notably a hospital. "Through biodynamic lighting it is possible to reduce a patient's stay in hospital and also improve their rest and recovery," Iglesias explains. Retail companies are also some of Kumux’s main clients, as among other things, its software allows for the generation of emotions through a colorimetric control of lighting during the different fashion seasons, which improves consumer experience in stores. The innovation in the lighting sector carried out by Kumux has led the spin-off to be one of the companies selected to form part of the SHAPE Pilot programme (SME HPC Adoption Programme in Europe), a support programme for companies who want to explore business opportunities in the field of supercomputing.
Kumux
In 2016, researchers Blas Garrido, Sergi Hernández and Adrià Huguet, from the electronics section of the UB's Engineering Department, presented their smart lighting system during the second edition of Science + Partners, an event organized by the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation that brings together research staff (Science), people from the business world and investors (Partners). On that occasion, they met with the investment fund BeAble Capital, which would later play a key role in launching the spin-off Enlighting Technologies in 2017. Now, the spin-off has created Kumux, the company's trademark, with the aim of marketing its dynamic, autonomous, and LED-based smart lighting system.
Bosch i Gimpera Foundation
The University of Barcelona becomes a shareholder in its spin-offs through Innovative and Scientific Culture (CIC-UB), the UB Group company dedicated to managing holdings in UB spin-offs. Created in 2003, this company currently holds shares in Accure Therapeutics, SL; Advanced Nanotechnologies, SL; Biocontrol Technologies, SL; Bluephage, SL; Braingaze, SL; ColorSensing, SL; Cytes Biotechnologies, SL; Dapcom-Data Services, SL; DBGen SL; Enantia, SL; Enlighting Technologies, SL; Gate2Brain, SL; Impetux Optics, SL; Mind and Identity, SL; Neurekalab, SL; Nostrum Biodiscovery, SL; Smalle Technologies, SL and Virtual Body Works, SL. The ultimate purpose of CIC-UB is to facilitate the creation of technology-based companies, obtaining an economic and social return for the UB group and society, as well as creating highly qualified jobs.
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