“Human-centric lighting (HCL) is an inevitable reality for the future of lighting,” states our recent report on the emerging HCL market. “It may take some time but as the cost of tunable lighting comes down, the lure of health and productivity benefits will make HCL a standard feature in lighting for all kinds of buildings. HCL is just one part of a human-centric revolution in our built environment,” the report continued.
This revolution is built on the scientific basis of the technology’s impact on human biology but driven by the competition and collaboration between leading players in the industry. Last week’s announcement that wireless controls firm Casambi and LED giant Seoul Semiconductor are ready to show the fruits of their collaboration, promises to be a significant moment for the HCL movement. The two firms claim that their combined offering puts HCL in the hands of designers for the very first time.
“Casambi’s partnership with Seoul Semiconductor puts power into the hands of the lighting designer, who can use their expertise to decide how to customise the lighting to the needs of the particular application and the users of the space, and plan an effective human-centric solution based on the latest science,” says Timo Pakkala, co-founder of Finnish firm Casambi.
Through the partnership, Casambi’s Bluetooth Low Energy based wireless control technology is made compatible with Seoul Semiconductor’s innovative SunLike Series LEDs – the first LED light source to closely match the spectrum of sunlight according to the company. Lighting and space designers will be able to use Casambi’s wireless control system and app with products containing SunLike Series LEDs to precisely adjust the level of light, in the knowledge that the spectrum reflects real sunlight.
“Human-Centric Lighting (HCL) is illumination that involves systems that are designed and implemented to trigger specific biological responses in humans. HCL incorporates relatively recent scientific discoveries that link specific wavelengths of light to specific biological responses in humans, and recognises that human biology is intrinsically linked to diurnal rhythms of sunlight through receptors in the eye and the circadian system,” explains our comprehensive report The Human Centric Lighting Market 2019 to 2024.
Seoul Semiconductor’s has gone to great lengths to prove the quality of its SunLike Series LEDs. One recent study, by Dr Octavio L. Perez, adjunct researcher in integrative lighting at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, looked at the non-visual effects of light on the body, and found that the SunLike Series LEDs provide up to 21% more stimulus than conventional LEDs at a colour temperature of 4000K, and the same stimulus as daylight at 6500K.
Another study by Professor Christian Cajochen at the University of Basel in Switzerland found that LED lights with a spectrum close to sunlight could have a very different effect on human circadian rhythms to conventional LEDs, with beneficial effects on health and wellbeing. Cajochen and his team found that people who spent time under LED lights with a spectrum close to sunlight were more comfortable, more alert, had better moods and slept better, compared to those who spent time under conventional LED lights.
Casambi’s technology, meanwhile, allows lights to be controlled by a timer, or by a wide variety of presence/motion sensors, and ambient daylight detection sensors making it easier to integrate in most buildings. It can control luminaires that shift in colour temperature over a very wide range, and designers have the freedom to configure dimming, and create scenes or animations to suit the particular application. Combined with Seoul Semiconductor’s LEDS, the pair may represent the forefront of the exciting HCL technology space.
A global market worth $849 million (2019) has already developed around this technology according to data compiled by our report. Europe leads the way with a $395 million market that represents 46% of global revenue, followed by North America with $238.3 million or 28% of total revenues, and the Asia Pacific region with $181.7 million or 21% share of this rapidly growing space. The global market for HCL solutions is expected to reach $3.5 billion dollars by 2024, a 32.75% CAGR over the five years, our in-depth report reveals.
By providing the power of HCL to designers, Casambi and Seoul Semiconductors are encouraging the adoption and manipulation of this health and productivity boosting lighting technology, which could drive growth of the entire HCL market. Thankfully we won’t have to wait long to know how promising this technology really is, the first official demonstration will be held on September 18th in London.