The iLED was first unveiled back in November 2005 (see Trumpf iLEd surgical light offers color-change benefits), and presumably was developed using technologies that were covered by Color Kinetics' large IP portfolio. The deal will now allow Trumpf to keep producing the iLED and other lights.
The deal is significant as it marks the first licensing deal for Color Kinetics that relates specifically to white-light applications. It is also Color Kinetics' first in the medical lighting field, and the license will apply to any future intelligent LED-based medical lights that Trumpf may develop.
The FDA-approved iLED surgical light offers multiple benefits over conventional medical lighting systems. Its lack of radiated heat provides a more comfortable operating environment for doctors, while its variable color temperature allows more precise examination of human tissue by making contrasts more visible.
"Thanks to the advent of innovative LED lighting technology, we can now deliver highly controllable illumination for surgical procedures. The iLED was designed to offer adjustable light characteristics, which make it adaptable to individual surgical situations -- a feature that is unique in the medical world today," said Kordt Griepenkerl, Managing Director, Trumpf Kreuzer, a medical technology subsidiary of Trumpf.
The iLED produces LED-based white light that is adjustable from 3,500K (warm) to 5,000K (cool), a capability that has proven helpful for doctors' concentration and alertness during lengthy surgeries, when cooler light is preferred.
