Specifications
The technical and engineering specifications for the LUMENTILE products have been defined by taking into account the needs of the end-users and of interior designers or architects, that will use and install the LUMENTILE solution.
Characteristics of the LUMENTILE products that may be appreciated by architects the interior designers are: flexibility, modularity, customizable..
THE LUMINOUS TILE
The LAYERS
Top Layer
The top layer is the element of the LUENTILE that is in contact with the outer world (and possibly harsh environment, i.e. direct sunlight, rain, freezing, pressure, mechanical shocks) and the users. Different materials have been considered: translucent ceramic, glass and polycarbonate have been selected as potential materials. Research and development started from the laboratory.
Bottom Layer
The bottom ceramic layer has the goal of giving mechanical strength to the tile and of embedding the driving and control electronic circuits.
The ELECTRONIC and OPTICAL HARDWARE (Intermediate, "smart" layer)
The electronic "smart" core of the LUMENTILE includes large-area electronic circuits and high brightness discrete LEDs, of red, green and blue color, that are capable of generating any possible color. The electronic layer also includes the sensors fro detecting people walking onto the tiles (for floor applications) and detecting users' gesture (for wall tiles).
The point-like light emission of the numerous, tiny RGB LEDs is transformed into a uniformly distributed light emission over the whole top surface of the tiles by means of suitably designed and manufactured light-guiding and light-diffusing layers.
For the VIDEO tiles, a new technology has been used to print the large-area electronic circuits for the RGB LEDs directly on a low-cost and flexible substrate such as PET (i.e. the same material that makes plastic bottles and acetate slides for overhead projectors).
The SOFTWARE
The developed software is classified as firmware and application software. The firmware runs on the micro-controllers equipping each tile, while the application software runs on an external control station that configures, coordinates and controls the set of tiles.
The LUMENTILE APP
A user-friendly Android App has been developed, with the goal of exchanging data with the wall/floor tile cover. It can be used to change the appearance and color of the installation, and to show in real-time traces of the different people walking onto the tiles.
OUTSIDE THE LUMINOUS TILE: THE CONNECTILE SYSTEM
The tiles are installed by placing them into a suitably designed plastic holder/socket, called the ConnecTile, each hosting and keeping into place four corners of four adjacent tiles. The ConnecTile not only provides mechanical stability to the floor/wall cover, but it also has embedded electrical contacts that are used to bring to each tile the electrical power, and to allow the tile communicate digital data between each other (for example: information about the color configuration of each tile, or deta collected by the sensors embedded into the tiles).
Communication and Dissemination
Information on LUMENTILE and media materials can be found at:
www.lumentile-project.eu
LUMENTILE accounts have been created on social channels:
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/lumentileeu(opens in new window)LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/lumentile-project/(opens in new window)Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/lumentile/(opens in new window)Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/lumentile(opens in new window)One of the most significant achievement has been the creation of practical demonstrators, showcased at fairs and trade-show, like the prestigious CES 2018 (Consumer Electronic Show) in Las Vegas.
LUMENTILE demonstrators have been showcased in Milan during the Fuorisalone Design Week in April 2018,
A LUMENTILE interactive wall representing a giant Tetris video game has been installed in Milano Lambrate design district.
A LUMENTILE floor installation was showcased in the central Piazza Castello in Milan, where more than 80,000 people could interact and play with the luminous interactive tiles.
LUM;ENTILE also organized two special events during the Fuorisalone in Milan: a Workshop on Smart-City emerging technologies, and a Round-table on new trends in illumination and lighting using new technologies.
A Virtual Reality video was produced showing potential application of LUMENTILE to hotels airports and retail shops, realizing interactive luminous paths and other intriguing applications.
Intellectual Property Management and exploitation
Technologies developed by LUMENTILE are being protected through five international patents (PCT) and the logo and name LUMENTILE have been registered as trade marks.
The technologies and solution generated in LUMENTILE will be brought to the market through one of the following approaches: i) Licensing of the intellectual property to a third party; ii) Creation of a newco spin-off Company, founded and owned by some of the LUMENTILE Partners together with new subjects.
