Luchento's Ristorante

This italian restaurant used RGB led strip to light up the crown molding and recessed ceiling in their dining area.  They also have included small hanging lights hung irregularly from the ceiling, creating a magical effect. 
If you too own a restaurant, bistro, or café, LED lighting may be the exact "special touch" that you have been looking for to take your business to a whole new level! 

flexible rgb light strip

flexible rgb light strip

flexible led strips

bright led strip

bright led strip

rgb led stripe

LED Lights Help Scientists Demystify Firefly Sex

For fireflies, size does matter—that is, the size of a spermatophore: a “package containing sperm and nourishment for the female,” which a male delivers to his lover once physical contact has been made. We should all be so lucky.

led strips

Biologists Adam South and Sara Lewis from Tufts University discovered this previously unknown detail of firefly courtship while using LED lights to mimic the insects’ highly luminous mating ritual. They discovered that while the males’ flashing light displays are important for initially attracting a mate (the females only flash back to males whose light patterns they find attractive), the size and transfer of this beneficial “package” is what seals the deal. In the first part of the study, scientists used small, dimmable LED lights to replicate male firefly flashes (both attractive and unattractive) for an audience of female fireflies. Then they placed both male and female flies in a small container and recorded the proceedings under infrared LED strips. There, researchers witnessed female fireflies choosing males based on the size of their spermatophore, not on the patterns of their light display, as previously thought. “Attractive flashes only seem to benefit males during the early stages of firefly courtship. Initially, flashes are important,” he explained. “[But] once males make physical contact, females switch to [this] alternative cue.”

led strips

Maybe fireflies aren’t so different from humans after all—a nice looking partner may attract us from the start, but in the long run, we’d much prefer one who can bring home the occasional bag of groceries.

rgb strip lights

LED Lights Shine at London Olympic Opening Ceremonies

Besides Germany’s lack of fashion sense and the fact that Paul McCartney can still hit high notes, one of the most amazing aspects of the London Olympics opening ceremonies was the complete and utter invasion of LED lights into every aspect of the show.From the many theatrical, dance and music performances to the stage production, special effects and audience interaction, LED lights made the event shine. Here are some of my favorite uses:

dimmable LED lights

Winged bicycled riders circled the arena, illuminated thanks to flexible LED lights.

dimmable LED lights

Dancers perform using colorful bars illuminated with strip lighting.

dimmable LED lights

Each seat in the stadium was backed with DMX LED lights, which turned the audience into a customizable, digital canvas that enhanced the show.

dimmable LED lights

Colorful LED wall washers were used throughout the event, which depicted highlights from British history including the pastoral era, the industrial revolution, and groundbreaking cultural icons, such as Mary Poppins and The Beatles.

dimmable LED lights

In one section, nurses put children to bed under blankets illuminated with dimmable LED lights.

The choreography, creativity and coordination that went into planning and pulling off the Opening Ceremony must have been staggering—it was truly impressive and inspiring to watch. If you missed it, you might be able to catch highlights on the NBC online Olympic channel.

ledstripbright

waterproof led ribbon

2014 LED Light Installations Abound

At times like these, technology is invaluable. I remember a few years back when we all had to wait until a few days after Burning Man was over to start seeing images of the beautiful art decorating the Playa. But nowadays—remote desert locale be damned—images are finding their way to us during the event, come hell or high desert winds. The following images by Neil Girling convey the diversity and ingenuity of several LED light-based art installations at Burning Man 2012, and at the very least, should provide some inspiration for any artist who has misplaced his or her mojo. If you didn’t get to grace Black Rock City this year, or if you simply need a reminder of the creativity that exists outside your front door, sit back and enjoy the RGB LED-laced eye candy that follows. There’s plenty where that came from.

LED strips

Here we have a giant electric guitar, which appears to be illuminated with LED strips. I’m sure this piece is refreshing for analog music lovers on the Playa, as much of the Burning Man experience these days is wrought with laptop-wielding electronic music producers.

LED strips

Next we have a simple-yet-lovely shade structure with a nature-lovers theme. Thought you had to go to Japan to find a great Bonsai tree? Think again.

LED strips

Let the sparks fly! This installation is exploding (albeit a little early, seeing as how Saturday’s burn has yet to come), but underneath all that fire, I’m guessing there might be some LED light fixtures.

LED strips

I love the look of the spherical structure to the right in this image. It reminds me of an underwater creature, especially in the glow of nearby LED wall washers.



And finally we have a space-age looking structure which in all probability is also an art car or mobile vehicle of some sort. Judging by the saturated blue hue, it’s illuminated with a DMX LED lighting system.

Stay tuned for more inspiring pictures from the Playa, and remember, if you can dream it, you can build it!

rgb led

RGB LED Lights Create Interactive Environment, Liquid Space

Liquid Space by Daan Roosegaarde is a lot of things. It’s an interactive space; it’s a kinetic sculpture; and it’s a mesmerizing piece of LED light art. Inspired by the movements of jellyfish, this three-pronged structure is tall enough for an average sized person to stand under and moves in a way that’s both organic and robotic—like a bionic creature straight out of an epic sci-fi saga. Dutch artist Roosegaarde describes Liquid Space as an “interactive space which physically becomes bigger, smaller and brighter in relation to human behavior. As organic fusion of mechanisms, embedded electronics, sound and LEDs the artwork creates a playful dialogue with its visitors.”

RGB LED

This incredible piece of art (version 6.0) premiered at The Yamaguci Center for Arts and Media in Japan in 2008. The second version (6.1) made its first appearance at Oerol, a summer festival on the island of Terschellings in New Zealand in 2009. It has made several appearances every year since then across Europe, from the United Kingdom to Germany and the Netherlands. Like many of Roosegaarde’s pieces, Liquid Space emphasizes the marriage between humanity and technology, and juxtaposes nature with the industrialized world. Watching Liquid Space in action, the thing that strikes me most is how fun it looks to dance and play beneath the giant. RGB LED structure, as it responds to your movements with its own.  If you haven’t already, be sure to check out Roosengaarde’s other LED light art pieces, including Crystal, Sustainable Dance Floor and Dune.