The EdisonReport team diligently attends major lighting tradeshows around the globe, seeking out outstanding products for annual recognition, celebrating the “best of the best” for the year. Traditionally, LightFair serves as the key launchpad for new products in North America. Yet, as the industry adapts, numerous innovations are debuting through press releases alone. LightTrades™ represents our curated selection of the Top 10 products of the year, spotlighting the best in innovation, irrespective of their launch method.
The Lightly Butterfly pendant features an open-air internal reflector concealing the LEDs with 80% indirect, 20% direct light It offers low-glare illumination and is 95% biodegradable, made from Northeast poplar and sheep’s wool, proving that you don’t The Butterfly is a fully sustainable linear lighting solution, that is 95% biodegradable while matching the performance, cost, and lead times of traditional linear fixtures. This groundbreaking product is composed of sheep’s wool and Northeastern Poplar wood from Pennsylvania, materials chosen for their eco-friendly qualities and ability to handle varying humidity levels without compromising on quality.
Lightly’s commitment to proving that toxic plastics and heavy metals are unnecessary for creating efficient lighting solutions. Extensive testing to meet UL standards ensured that the chosen Poplar not only machines well and maintains straightness but also handles thermal variations effectively, making it as durable as the wood used in high-grade furniture.
The Sourcery platform is a boon for lighting designers, operating much like Pinterest for the lighting industry. Picture receiving a product highlight from a designing lighting (dl) direct mail – if it catches your eye, with a simple click, it’s pinned to your dashboard. This robust platform serves as a central hub for finding and organizing lighting fixtures by project or theme. Whether searching for the perfect lighting for a coffee shop or another specific setting, Sourcery streamlines the process. Users can discover products, gather them in a personalized workspace, and from there, seamlessly integrate them into their project plans. It’s an all-in-one solution for curation, discovery, and project management, akin to using Spotify or YouTube for exploring and collecting lighting products.
Parspec revolutionizes the lighting industry with its cutting-edge product database and intelligent AI-driven processes, enabling faster operations and increased bid-winning potential. This advanced system harnesses AI for efficient product finding, accurate quoting, and streamlined submittals, drastically cutting down the time users spend on quotes. Having personally witnessed a demonstration, the effectiveness of this software is indeed impressive. It’s no surprise that numerous top sales agents and distributors have adopted Parspec for its AI capabilities that significantly enhance product selection and documentation processes. Notably, SESCO Lighting has halved both the time and expense of creating submittals thanks to Parspec’s innovative solutions.
The innovative “Sparkle” luminaire, conceived by Don Peifer of Smash the Bulb, envisions a paradigm shift in lighting manufacturing through the lens of additive technology. This L-Prize winner conceptual design proposes on-site fabrication of lighting solutions, harnessing the mobility and convenience of a portable 3D printing farm. “Sparkle” stands out by advocating for user engagement, offering a modular design that is serviceable without the need for tools.
The “Sparkle” luminaire integrates user-friendly disassembly instructions right into its design, offering a tool-free assembly feature. The design choice of utilizing slender fins and strategic perforations transcends mere aesthetics, serving the practical purpose of minimizing material use while improving LED thermal management through enhanced airflow. These features, challenging or exceedingly costly with conventional manufacturing methods, not only diminish the energy and time required for production but also allow for easy attachment of accessories and encourage future design innovation.
Nora’s latest offering, the 2″ Iolite can-less downlights, is engineered for seamless integration into new construction or remodel projects. These downlights are distinguished by deep regressed cone reflectors for optimal visual comfort and cutoff. Each fixture is held in place with magnets and comes with a pre-wired junction box, eliminating the need for separate housing and ensuring an IC Air-Tight rating for safety and energy efficiency. The downlights are versatile in size, ranging from 1″ to 8″, and capable of producing up to 2100 lumens. Available in flood, narrow flood, or spot optics, these fixtures also feature a warm dim option to enhance ambiance and user experience.
Inter-lux introduced D Wave an innovative lighting solution engineered for the seamless illumination of outdoor environments. Constructed from a flexible, low-profile, and fully recyclable PVC rubber, D Wave is built to deliver consistent lighting across walkways, trails, parks, and beyond, overcoming traditional installation constraints. This pioneering product can be strategically placed to enhance pathways and wall spaces alike.
D Wave emerges as a contemporary substitute for bollards. Its design philosophy diverges, focusing on integration rather than intrusion, allowing the lighting to merge with the landscape it enhances while providing strong, yet unobtrusive lighting. Additionally, D Wave is recognized for its Full Cut-Off capabilities, making it an ideal contender for Dark Sky-compliant projects, ensuring focused illumination with minimal sky glow.
TLS LumiPano presents a versatile perforated metal solution that opens a realm of creative possibilities through its array of standard and bespoke perforation patterns. Customized to integrate unique and natural forms into any lighting plan, each panel is meticulously crafted for individual projects. The system is illuminated by the proprietary TLS, ensuring a uniformly diffused glow across the expanse of the panel, with available lighting options including Static CCT, Tunable White, RGBW, and Pixel Control. Its high-transmission polycarbonate diffuser maximizes brightness while maintaining an impressive 87% light throughput. Designed for ease of installation, LumiPano panels can be directly mounted, bypassing the need for a conventional T-bar ceiling system. The innovative magnetic profile clipping mechanism streamlines profile detachment, providing straightforward access to both lighting elements and overhead plenum space.
UL Solutions has unveiled a new service for in-field measurement that accurately captures circadian lighting effectiveness within indoor environments, providing a detailed circadian heatmap. This innovative service adheres to recognized standards, including EML, UL 24480, and MEDI, offering a comprehensive evaluation of light’s influence on human circadian rhythms.
The service extends to a spectrum of lighting fixtures, including but not limited to recessed troffers, pendant lights, wall washers, sconces, downlights, and desk lamps. A specialized lab environment has been developed to precisely assess the spectral power distribution (SPD) at the eye level, which is crucial for determining circadian impact. The assessment employs three distinct algorithms to generate a circadian performance score for each lighting product, ensuring adherence to the International WELL Building Standard, UL Design Guideline 24480, and DIN Technical Spec 67600, respectively.
LEDbyDesign introduced a Casambi-Enabled 6-watt A-Lamp, notable for its innovative design that houses miniaturized control electronics within the base of the filament lamp, as opposed to the less aesthetically pleasing “snow-cone” bulb design. This product stands out as the only filament lamp in the market equipped with Casambi smart technology. With a CRI of 90, the lamp operates at either 120v or 220v, integrating seamlessly into modern smart ecosystems. LEDbyDesign is at the forefront of custom lighting controls, offering a blend of design and technology services. With two decades of expertise in both the hardware and software aspects of LED technology, LEDbyDesign is recognized for its cutting-edge solutions in the lighting industry.
JDRF positions itself at the forefront of lighting technology, offering the first-ever self-configuring Smart Lighting system underpinned by Autonomous Lighting Control. Their system features Daylight Groups that intelligently self-organize based on the shared location and detected ambient lighting conditions, leveraging Autonomy Sensors that communicate with one another. The proprietary Area management algorithm guarantees that only sensors sharing the same physical space are grouped together, enhancing efficiency and responsiveness. The system is designed for flexibility, as it dynamically updates group configurations in response to changes in room layout, lighting modifications, or the movement and maintenance of the sensors themselves. This ensures seamless, adaptive control over the lighting environment, tailored to the specific and evolving needs of each unique space.
