If These Bulbs Could Talk

Smart technologies in LED bulbs have primarily focused on energy efficiency up to this point. Even though it’s still progressing, the “brains” that have been put inside LEDs have, for the most part, provided the ability to set schedules, control bulbs from anywhere, and allow them to self-adjust for natural lighting. All of these elements provide improvements on efficiency that older alternatives could hardly approach, but Fujitsu is adding on to the growing list of things that these bulbs can do for businesses throughout [city].

Business Lighting On A Small Scale

Lighting fixtures in retail stores, museums and locations throughout [city] are not always industrial in size and purpose. In fact, many displays may be lit up with smaller bulbs that make it possible to see detail or enhance the look of the items that they pull focus to. These are not the massive fixtures that line the ceilings of warehouses and office spaces. Lighting like these create focus while preserving ambiance, and they are subtle enough that customers may not even notice they’re there.

Data Filled Bulbs Make Information Gathering Easy

Whether customers realize that the lights are present or not, Fujitsu has enabled these bulbs with a chip that also makes them contact centers and informational displays for the item. By using bulbs with these ID chips, retailers and museum curators make it so the patron only has to hold up a smart phone with a camera to the item while logged into an app, and the details of the product will come up on the screen of the phone. In an educational setting, they can gather the historical details about the display.  In a retail environment, they can get information on materials, sizes, price and more.

And if the retail customer wants to take the item home with them? The ID chip can be enabled to tap into shopping cart software that allows them to pay from their phones and make it theirs. Customers who don’t have questions or who just want a quick trip in and out of the store can have it without talking to a staff member or searching for a register. People throughout [city] could soon be the happy target of retail efficiency of the highest caliber.

More To Come

While these steps are already an impressive advancement in what [city] proprietors can do with lighting, the implications of the technology can go well beyond sales and displays. It should be possible to use ID chips, as PC World points out, to do things like provide information about what is going on on stage or in a movie, just by pointing a smart phone at the LED lights that are illuminating the event. At some point, the mere presence of a light could also be an option to disseminate information, and that can be a huge advancement in the availability of data and content. Rather than having to actively decide that they are going to seek out information, people can get used to the idea that they can always have it just by scanning a light with a smart phone.

Not Available Yet, But Very Much On The Horizon

The technology hasn’t been released yet, but it certainly gets the wheels turning for businesses throughout [city] and the world. As card-less payment systems become more popular, buying items that can then instantly be yours is the future of high-tech shopping. Now, it’s coupled with the ability to gather data not from a website or a search engine, but from the lighting that might have been what actually drew your attention to begin with.