Smart lighting – the key to a smart city
Less congestion, better orientation, more information and safety – smart, networked technology has huge potential for increasing the quality of life in our cities. Both new and existing lighting stock is already a component part of the infrastructure but with Selux Smart Lighting, it can become a key element in the smart city of tomorrow.
Rather than a far-off vision of the future, the changeover to networked cities is already happening around us and across the world, big cities are also growing. The increasing overcrowding is presenting human beings with huge challenges when it comes to communal living. At the same time, digitalisation is providing new opportunities in organizing how we live our lives together and increasing the quality of life in cities. Already today, light is an essential part of the urban infrastructure. Smart Lighting sees Selux take this a step further, building new bridges to ensure a smart future for our cities.
Connected to Life – for a better quality of life
Key questions in the use of smart technologies are: How can we use it to improve our lives, make them more enjoyable, interesting and safer? Smart Lighting by Selux follows the „Connected to Life“ principle – rather than an end in itself, technology is closely connected to life and the needs, expectations and potential of human beings. This is a strategy deployed by Selux to make the smart city a goal that is worth striving for – a city with a sustainable quality of life for all.
Urban lighting forms a logical basis for this approach since it provides a huge number of installation points with a ready supply of electricity. In this way smart luminaires become nodes in an extensive digital network – a new role for lighting technology, for which Selux is optimally prepared. Consistently modular products like the Lif light column provide the optimal prerequisites for the integration of smart functions. The profound technical understanding of Selux’ experts enables us to work with customers, users and partners to devise solutions that are perfectly tailored to individual situations.
Synergies due to networking
A smart city is more than just the sum of its parts, since its constituent elements mutually reinforce each another due to synergy effects. An internet connection enables needs-based switching and dimming of smart luminaires by Selux as well as their incorporation within complex light scenes. Lighting therefore saves energy while at the same time enhances quality of life in urban areas. Yet networking is not a one-way street. Sensors within luminaires can gather a wide variety of data and transfer it in real time: From brightness or meteorological data for a locality to traffic flows, traffic density and air quality. Evaluations can be carried out using this data and scenarios developed in order to regulate traffic flows or optimise logistics chains, while cameras placed at critical points in the city can ensure greater safety.
Conversely smart luminaires can also supply information to their environment via loudspeakers, displays or Wi-Fi hotspots. Charging stations for electric vehicles can also be installed on Selux luminaires. As such the smart city interacts with its inhabitants and visitors, learning and gathering knowledge in order to become better attuned to people and urban life. For Selux, the term ‘smart city’ long ago ceased to be mere theory. At its headquarters in Berlin, a test area has been set up for trialling new concepts and ideas. Here, customers and corporate partners can experience live and in person how smart technologies are being incorporated into lighting – a clear commitment to the vision of a smart city.
March 2018