“The lighting industry has never changed as rapidly as now”

Glamox has been operating in the lighting industry for the last 70 years. For the last decade, the steadily improvement of LED light sources has been dominating the product development. But the increasing demand for systems that manages the use of lighting has made Glamox plot a new course entirely. “In the future our customers won’t be satisfied before they have full control over the use of lighting down to the last kWh.”, Marthinussen said.

However, there are more benefits associated with light management than reducing energy consumption. A deliberate and scientifically based use of indoor lighting can also lead to a better working environment.

“With lighting that mimics the qualities of daylight, so called Human Centric Lighting, we can stimulate the human circadian rhythm and help workers stay alert and focused throughout the day”, Marthinussen said.

The lighting grid as a hub for IoT technology

Another reason why Glamox is now making radical changes to its business model is related to the opportunities offered by the Internet of Things. The evolution of IoT has made the lighting grid a potential hub for technological innovations well beyond illumination.

Among the technological solutions Glamox will demonstrate on Light + Building in March are; asset tracking, indoor positioning and heat mapping. All technologies are based on beacons and sensors placed inside their luminaires.

Already on the market

For Glamox, Human Centric Lighting, asset tracking, indoor positioning and heat mapping are examples of technology that the company is already offering to the market. “We have been communicating our new light management solutions to the market for some time now, and we get good feedback. One reason is that we also offer to take full system responsibility. In the midst of so much new technology it is important to avoid buck-passing between different suppliers if something goes wrong”, Marthinussen said.

Gesture control

Another technology that Glamox is currently exploring is gesture control. If this use of infrared sensors to communicate with lighting products catches on, we might be using hand movements to control the luminaires surrounding us, instead of panels and switches in the future. At Light + Building Glamox will let the visitors play around with this new technology in a custom made “gesture box”.

“We are excited to see how people will interact with the new technology we are bringing along. The implementation of LED light sources has been disruptive to the lighting industry, but the technological leaps we see now will have even larger implications”, Marthinussen said.