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Lessons from the open road – can light help?

80% of Americans plan to take a road trip this summer – Summer Travel Survey 2022 — Nearly 81% to Travel, 42% to Travel More than Last Summer, Nearly 51% to Fly on a Plane, 80% to Road Trip

And… 

74%- or 50 million Brits are planning to do the same – More than 50 Million Brits to Hit the Road for Staycations This Summer

You wouldn’t dream of loading up the car with your loved ones after a few drinks.

But many of us will work late – or even all night- to finish up before hitting the road for a summer break.

You may be shocked to know you’re taking a similar risk.

 

Can light help?

A blast of bright cool light will help you feel more alert. But it won’t improve your performance. It could even increase the risk because you ‘think you’re fine’ – Blue-Enriched White Light Enhances Physiological Arousal But Not Behavioral Performance during Simulated Driving at Early Night

Intelligent “Human-centric” in-car lighting systems can deliver the optimal wake-up call. But they can’t stop you taking deadly micro-naps at the wheel Evidence for Human-Centric In-Vehicle Lighting: Part 1 

It won’t help the drivers around you either – they may be exhausted too,

 

So – to make sure you all get away – and come home – in good shape

The best way to start your holiday – and make sure you get home safely too – is to relax at home and get your brain in gear.

 

High-tech headlamps – why can’t we do this in classrooms?

Nine in ten of Brits us complain that headlamps are too bright.

And…

One in five women say they avoid driving at night because of the glare – Blinded by the lights – nearly one-in-four drivers think most car headlights are too bright… and the problem is getting worse

But this isn’t a whinge about headlamps.

It’s an invitation to marvel – and wonder why we can’t offer the same control in a classroom!

  1. Adaptive Front Lighting Systems and Adaptive Light Distribution: use sensors to detect the vehicle’s speed, steering angle, and other factors. Based on this information, the headlights can swivel or adjust their direction to provide optimal illumination around curves or corners, detect the presence of other vehicles, pedestrians, or road signs and adjust the light distribution accordingly
  2. Matrix LED Headlights: This technology takes adaptive lighting a step further. Matrix LED headlights consist of multiple individual LED elements that can be controlled independently. By selectively dimming or turning off specific segments of the headlight, the system can adaptively adjust the light pattern to avoid dazzling oncoming drivers while still illuminating the surrounding area.
  3. Laser Headlights: Laser headlights employ laser diodes to generate a beam of light that is significantly brighter and reaches further even than the super-bright LED’s that most of us complain about.

I’m working with two schools for SEND students. Those teachers want to be able to create different zones – cool and warm, dim and bright – within the same classroom.

Perhaps the automotive industry could teach us a lesson or two?

 

Light at the end of the tunnel?

The number of long distance tunnels around the world is growing…

And the tunnels are accident hot-spots partly due to visual adaptation issues – The impact of LED spectrum and correlated color temperature on driving safety in long tunnel lighting

Lighting is key to safety but comes at a cost – up to 1,000kwh/meter per year – Energy Efficient Tunnel Solutions

Intelligent lighting systems can tailor light levels to weather conditions – boost safe luminance levels by up to 39.58 %, 26.04 %, and 5.21 % on sunny, cloudy, and rainy days, respectively, and cut energy use by 21.59 %, 32.13 %, and 33.03 % too – The impact of LED spectrum and correlated color temperature on driving safety in long tunnel lighting

I’ve been working away on a book for parents about how light can help them to improve their children’s sleep, mood and ability to concentrate at school.

I would love to hear what you think. So please respond ‘yes’! to this email and l’ll send you a free pdf preview of the ebook.

Get in touch!