(Photo courtesy of OSRAM Sylvania)

What a difference a year makes. LEDs’ emergence was highly visible at Lightfair International this year. The number of LED and LED-based product exhibitors increased from 44 in 2003 to 80 this year -- a 188% leap.

For the first time, Lightfair invited Nadarajah Narendran, director of research at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Lighting Research Center to provide a guided tour of LED product manufacturers exhibiting at the show. This is an apparent indicator that LEDs have moved from the lighting industry’s fringe to its center stage.

This year’s Best New Product of the Year award winner was io Lighting, an LED lighting-fixture designer. The company produced LED-based, linear luminaires for applications where light pollution and light trespass impede façade lighting.

io Lighting's linear LED luminaire, which garnered Lightfair's New Product of the Year Award. (Photo courtesy of io Lighting).

More importantly, this year’s attendees were no longer asking, “What’s a light emitting diode?”; rather, they’re commenting, “sure you can show me color LEDs, but when can you show me warm, white LEDs?” or, “When can I buy an LED that provides 60 lumens?”

The answer to the second question may be now. Enlux Lighting, winner of Lightfair’s Energy and LED Lamp Awards, showcased a new LED floodlight that generates light equal to a 60-watt incandescent flood, while utilizing one-third of the power and offering longer life.

This is a pleasant change from the past. LEDs are viewed by many as the most exciting thing to happen in lighting in years. The technology’s steady progress offers the lighting industry opportunities to change how lighting will be applied in the future.

Never before have LEDs offered such a brilliant spectrum of colors and whites for a vast range of ambient, architectural-lighting applications. They address accent, contour, cove, façade, backlighting and signage applications. This is just scratching the surface of what’s to come; in the next decade, we’ll see LEDs in a wide array of uses previously thought impossible.

Why? Because the illumination will become more cost-effective and energy-efficient when produced with LED technology. LEDs produce luminosity through a direct, electricity-to-light conversion. These little diodes can provide a tremendous brightness for a very long time. For instance, the normal life of a 2W LED is more than 50,000 hours, which projects 50% degradation when applied under typical operating conditions.

Moreover, grouped LEDs can illuminate objects, spaces, special events and spectaculars, even people -- anything in very intelligent ways. Unlike incandescent lighting, LED luminescence may be directed and controlled, and the fixture is easily hidden from view. Rugged and extremely compact in comparison to traditional light sources, they can be used in diverse applications.

Lightfair demonstrated myriad, exciting LED possibilities. Passing through the LED section, one could see dynamically changing, colored-light sources for ambiance, design and illumination. Recent developments, such as OSRAM’s Colormix System, employ color-changing technology that delivers flexible, hands-on controls for dynamic lighting effects that will impact future interior and architectural design schemes. I envision entering my office in the early morning, with overhead, LED lighting programmed to reflect springtime daylight. In the early morning, the lighting is soft and warm. As the day progresses, the light becomes a little cooler. When I’m ready to go home in the evening, the light conveys a dusky glow.

Many companies at the show are worth watching. In addition to their award-winning luminaire, io Lighting introduced two indoor/outdoor fixtures using small linear extrusions with powerful lensing options. They provide tight beam control, which is conducive to wall washing. It was fascinating to see an LED beam projected from the floor onto the ceiling.

Another interesting product was the Versa™ Tile from Element Labs. This collection of small tiles placed in large arrays can convert video signals to large, live, dynamic mosaics. Luxeon displayed the first high-flux, 1W LEDs that allow projection of colored or white light for wall washing and highlighting effects.

Other exhibitors of note included DesignPlan Lighting, Waldmann Lighting, Lighting & Electronic Design Inc., Traxon USA and Lucifer Lighting Co. These companies’ products transform the light emitted from LEDs to float and dance on walls and surfaces as never before; the effect is subtle, elegant, minimalist and modern.

The industry knows LEDs’ potential, but we must set realistic expectations for our audience. We must be honest when lighting designers ask us when they can expect to see a warm, white LED capable of lighting an object or area while integrating it into architecture and other surroundings. For instance, the next LED lighting breakthrough will be increased light output as fixture manufacturers create optical control that projects one beam from several point sources. This is an ongoing goal for the LED industry that will require further research, development and collaboration amongst LED and fixture manufacturers, as well as lighting designers.

As with any emerging technology, there will be periodic improvements before there is widespread marketplace adoption. LEDs will become progressively brighter with each incremental change. Technological developments and application possibilities will expand as the industry develops a more dynamic, flexible lightsource than anything we’ve seen. The possibilities are endless, and LEDs offer the opportunity to again be pioneers.