LED bulbs could be used to connect devices in the Internet of Things
A group of researchers from Disney Research, ETH Zurich, and Lovefield Wireless proposes the use of Light Emitting Diodes (LED) bulbs for connecting devices in the Internet of Things (IoT). In a recently published paper, the researchers describe a Visible Light Communication system (called EnLighting) which involves the use of LEDs as a communication fabric for the IoT. Light bulbs can communicate among themselves and with other objects in a room, and this makes them suitable for simplifying the deployment, maintenance, configuration, and controllability of indoor lighting installations and services. The paper notes that such a system can be a solution to communication challenges in the saturated radio spectrum (with many IoT devices now relying on the use of radio frequencies).