It is expected that more than 64 billion IoT devices will be deployed by 2025, and they will work with batteries. The chemical components of these batteries threaten to have a huge environmental impact on the Earth. There is a pressing need to find a solution for removing the batteries without affecting communication performance and IoT services.

IMDEA researchers propose that IoT devices will operate with the energy provided by Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and any other light source, and data provided by modulating these LEDs, a concept called LiFi, and that IoT devices will send data back by reflecting and modulating the RF coming signals already present in the environment, a passive and low-energy transmission technique called RF backscatter.

Detailing further on their work, Dr. Giustiniano said, “Our work opens the door to long-range, battery-free Internet of Things applications retrofitting lighting infrastructure for communication, something that was not previously possible to achieve. It’s the result of three years of research; when we started, LiFi technology and RF backscattering were considered independent technologies, and we have shown that LiFi can solve the limitations of RF backscatter, and that LiFi can be applied to a new field, battery-free communication. ”

The IMDEA Networks team (formed by Domenico Giustiniano, Borja Genovés Guzmán, and Muhammad Sarmad Mir) has enjoyed the collaboration of Dr. Ambuj Varshney (Uppsala University, and soon to be Assistant Professor at the National University of Singapore).

Revealing yet another significance of their research work, Borja Genovés Guzmán, Post-Doc Researcher at IMDEA Networks and one of the co-authors of the scientific paper, said, “Solar cells have been widely used to harvest energy. In this work, we go a step further and demonstrate that they can be used efficiently and simultaneously as both a source of power harvesting and as a communications receiver. Our solution solves the trade-off between the captured energy required by the IoT device and the desired data rate, allowing our system to operate without using batteries.”

Domenico Giustiniano
Research Associate Professor at IMDEA Networks Institute

Borja Genovés Guzmán
Post-Doc Researcher at IMDEA Networks

Demand-driven automation means using energy only when it is really necessary. It starts with a typical human behaviour. For example, once users of office buildings have switched on the lights or the air conditioning and ventilation system, they often stay on all day – in the worst case, even the following night, because often nobody thinks of switching off. As a result, too much unnecessary energy is consumed.

A simple presence detector brings a considerable improvement. Because it automatically ensures that lighting and other devices are only switched on when people are present. At the same time, it uses its light sensor system to check the current brightness. If the daylight entering through the windows is sufficient for work, the presence detector switches the lighting off. If it also has the facility for constant light control, it only dims it as much as the available daylight requires. In other words, it saves energy using daylight.

Of course, the whole thing also means maximum comfort. After all, a presence detector automatically ensures that it never gets too dark or too light. People no longer have to worry about anything and can concentrate fully on their work. Furthermore, demand-controlled automation is also helpful in terms of hygiene, for example, it’s a very topical issue..

Can you explain this in more detail?

It is all about the classic light switch on the wall. The light switch is one of the biggest transmission points for infections. Especially, where many people use the same place as in corridors, sanitary areas, not only at home but also at offices. However, anyone using presence and motion detectors can dispense with the light switch because they switch the light automatically. In this way, demand-controlled automation can make an important contribution to health. Especially as hygiene standards in buildings will continue to rise significantly in the future even after the current crisis has been overcome.

How do you simultaneously optimise the room temperature, air quality and lighting?

We achieve this with a multisensory device: the ATMO presence detector. At its highest level of expansion, it detects changes in the lighting situation, humidity, temperature and air quality. In KNX systems, it automatically ensures that the room is not only optimally bright when people are present, but also a healthy and comfortable climate is maintained. In doing so, it can run the air conditioning and ventilation system at different levels depending on the current air quality. The multi-sensor technology in just one device also saves the need for several individual solutions and complicated installations.

What are the different kinds of technologies that you are using to provide the integrated best comfort feeling indoor?

In addition to the presence detectors such as the PD-ATMO, SymbiLogic technology, which is used in our lighting systems with ESYLUX Light Control, is particularly noteworthy. SymbiLogic technology creates dynamic, daylight-like light sequences, so-called Human Centric Lighting. This is the top topic in the lighting sector and will remain so in the future. It has been scientifically proven that Human Centric Lighting improves people’s vitality, well-being and, for example, their ability to concentrate. It also makes people sleep better at night, which is good for their health.

The special feature of SymbiLogic is the very energy-efficient implementation of Human Centric Lighting. By using intelligent sensor technology, the light is also here switched according to presence and daylight, but above all the technology realises a presence and daylight-dependent adaptive HCL light control. This means that it transfers the principle of daylight utilisation known from constant light control to the HCL. This makes the use of Human Centric Lighting also sensible in terms of energy consumption.

What is your comment on CAPEX and OPEX when ‘Demand Driven Automation’ system is implemented in a building?

The potential savings in operating costs that result from demand-driven automation are quite considerable, especially when combined with LED-based lighting. Deutsche Energie-Agentur (dena), the German Energy Agency, estimates it at around 70%. This applies to lighting alone. If automation is used in an air-conditioning or ventilation system, this naturally takes on quite different dimensions. Everyone knows how high the energy requirements of such systems are. So, automatic, presence-dependent switching off is a correspondingly helpful feature.

As far as CAPEX is concerned: both our presence detectors and our lighting systems are future-proof, ready-to-use technology that is suitable for any type of building and can be easily retrofitted if required. This leads to an increase in the value of the property while at the same time keeping maintenance costs low. The investment is made even more worthwhile by the fact that presence detectors make optimum use of the long service life of LEDs by switching them off automatically.

Above all, however, I would like to take this opportunity to highlight the long-term effects for the employees in such a building. And this is through the increased comfort and health. Employee satisfaction is a great asset in today’s world. It not only helps to keep good employees in the company, but also contributes to higher productivity. In the long term, this results in a win-win situation for investors and employers as well as for the users.

How do you address the complex demands of customers with simplified technologies?

The Performance for Simplicity is our brand promise and can be seen in many different places. This starts with personal expert advice from our own experts, which takes many decisions away from the customer, and extends to simple parameterisation, remote control and documentation of our remote-controlled devices via app. Our plug-and-play solutions, which allow installation via a simple plug-in connection and often even configuration, are a prime example. This is pure simplicity and saves time and money.

What kind of R&D works do you conduct inside the company?

Our research and development is based in the Hamburg metropolitan region, i.e., in Germany. Germany continues to enjoy an excellent reputation throughout the world, but I am certainly not telling you anything new. Our engineers focus on all significant technical innovations, developments and improvements in the field of electronics. Both in the field of automation and lighting. Incidentally, our lighting laboratory is also located at the same site, where we use our own sensor technology for tests and light measurements. This is of course very practical.

Please tell us about ESYLUX’s patented solutions.

We have a whole range of German and international patents. These include products I have already talked about, such as the ATMO presence detector or the lighting systems with ESYLUX Light Control. Sometimes our patented solutions are particularly small: the presence and motion detectors of our COMPACT MINI series, for example. They are hardly noticeable on the ceiling and are now also installed by us in the diffusers of downlights. The intelligent vandalism and sabotage protection of our new DEFENSOR outdoor motion detectors is also exciting. More information on this can be found on our website.

Please tell us about some of ESYLUX’s highly critical Indian projects?

Since the brand has been launched together with our partner iTvis Innovation in India in the year 2019, we have completed a considerable number of projects across India. Our solutions found their place in buildings and facilities across various industries and locations of the country. We’ve equipped the office space in the plant of a sizable automotive manufacturer in Maharashtra with our demand-driven Human Centric Lighting solution SymbiLogic. We have helped a multinational eTailer to reduce the energy costs at its warehousing locations across India with the help of our motion detectors. Also, well-known cosmetic companies are using our DALI broadcast sensors for constant light control at their corporate offices in one of Mumbai’s prime locations.

What would you like to tell the Indian lighting enthusiasts?

We all know how immensely important lighting is for people. Especially in today’s world, where many more people work in buildings and offices than was the case in the past. The conversion from traditional lighting into LED lighting has already progressed very fast in India. But now it is time to take the next step and use intelligent, sensor-controlled automation and lighting solutions such as those already established in the European market. They improve people’s quality of life as well as energy efficiency, and not least the use of energy-efficient Human Centric Lighting will lead Indian offices, educational establishments and healthcare facilities into a new age.

Through enabling the transformation of these traditional stores into Smart Stores, BuildTrack aims to enhance the customer experience within the store as they go about exploring the myriads of exceptional solutions by turning them on or off and dimming them individually or collectively. The digital catalogue of over 300 lights in the entire showroom can be controlled via Smart App. The system was deployed after the store was completed and in operation, hence the deployment had to be wireless. “The Concept deployed by BuildTrack pushes the boundaries of the standard retail store towards a Smart Store, reducing Human intervention, enhancing productivity and experience,” said Dr. Narendra Bhat, Founder & President at BuildTrack.

Transitioning

One of the definitions of a successful lighting design is that the illuminated space, in addition to being both appealing and functional, should meet the needs of its intended occupants without causing discomfort. What does that look like in today’s world where the human response maybe prompted by the data collected through smart IoT features integrated into the lighting? Moreover, how the lighting (IoT) collects data?

Amalgamation of lighting and the IoT

To answer the question on why lighting is the right platform for sensor applications, Bluetooth communication, beacon networking and data analytics, we need to take a look around us. Let’s say you wanted to roll out a dense network of thousands of wireless smart nodes in places such as an office building, a hospital or an airport. The cost of installing such hardware to a power supply would be exorbitant. Considering that lights are everywhere and already powered, it is easy to understand why lighting today is being treated as a primary host for mesh-connected data infrastructures.

The gap and the opportunity

Intelligent lighting control, predictive management, space and occupancy analytics, beacon networking and asset tracking, amongst others, are popping up as IoT driven applications that lighting designers know very little about. It has been observed that so called ‘smart consultants’ are being given the preference over lighting designers to design the IoT infrastructure including the lighting. It is obviously detrimental to lighting design if IoT specialists with no real knowledge of proper lighting design, start to dictate where lighting points should go and, in the process, compromise the potential integrity of the lighting design and compliance to lighting standards. This reveals that there is a big divide and disconnect between lighting designers and the smart IoT world. To resolve this problem, global lighting design firm Klaasen Lighting Design (KLD) has created a LDoT (Lighting Design of Things) platform which puts the lighting designer right back at the centre of lighting design by taking on the role of facilitator and integrator of IoT features and functions within the lighting design process. This move is being considered as the birth of a new breed of lighting consultant — the Lighting Designer of Things.

KLD’s new LDoT platform enables to connect leading IoT players with developers, property owners, operators, data system providers and other key project designers.

Looking forward

Market research indicates that around 20 billion ‘Things’ will be connected to the Internet by 2020. These ‘Things’ will turn enterprises into digital businesses and facilitate new business models by making them more efficient and increase both employee and customer engagement. It will be up to lighting designers to fill the IoT leadership void and lead these initiatives as they relate to lighting.

With lights that can see, sense and communicate with their internal and external environment, the connecting (and data collection) of assets, processes, personnel and events can be facilitated. From this data a company can learn how spaces are used and better understand behavioural patterns of their occupants. A company can then react with preventative action or alter business processes. The lighting-integrated IoT forms the foundation for this capability. LDoT makes sure that the technologies are seamlessly integrated within the lighting design the same way the lighting is seamlessly integrated within the architecture.

In order to create value wherever possible we have to consider cost, performance, flexibility, interoperability, compatibility, privacy, security and what generally fits best within the architecture. IoT features come in all forms, shapes and in a multitude of configurations delivering different performances. This is why we need to educate ourselves on what’s out there, what the various IoT systems can deliver and what particular companies are specialised in. Can the sensor be integrated in the light fitting we want? Is it scalable? Does it work with BMS? And so on. It becomes important to know how these components can be integrated in order to determine what can be offered to a client.

Reflection on the past

Klaasen Lighting Design (KLD) is an award-winning lighting design practice with over 35 years of experience. Some of the company’s spectacular projects include His Majesty’s Theatre Perth, Australia and the Alila Yangshuo Resort Guilin, China. KLD’s founder, Martin Klaasen’s early projects include the Nieuw Amsterdam Cruise ship, the KLCC Twin Towers Kuala Lumpur and the historic Raffles Hotel Singapore. Martin always says: “As a lighting designer you develop your style, concepts and approach to design following a proven path to success, however it is easy to fall into set habits with things that have worked for you in the past over and over again.”

Picture Courtesy: Gooee