To reach your destiny, just follow the path of light

Nov 20, 2013 10:59 GMT  ·  By

Each day, we get closer and closer to the time when anything and everything will have some way to produce light or electricity, or do something else that only gadgets and computers can right now. Philips has just made its latest contribution.

The newest project from Philips takes LEDs (light emitting diodes) and embeds them in the things most likely to be stepped on: carpets.

That's right, Philips has introduced LED carpets, the type that you're not just allowed to step up, but encouraged to step on.

In a partnership with flooring company Desso, it invented “light transmissive carpets” that integrate LEDs into fabric.

Thus, even people who tend to walk with their nose in the ground will be unable to escape the lull of digital signs.

Because that's the first thing Desso wants to use them for: digital signage. By controlling which areas of the carpet light up, Philips and Desso can show information, logos, guiding arrows and text.

There are many, many ways in which this concept can be used in the world, from temporarily displaying directions in a plane to enabling ambient and informative lighting in hotels.

Homes can benefit too of course. Rather than ceiling or wall lights, a host could just activate the edges of the carpet to provide the necessary glow in a room. You could even go outside and rely on that to know how far it's safe to wander off or stretch out for a nap during a nighttime pool party.

More carpet and even fabric options are bound to be added to Desso's product range, and we won't be surprised if Philips announces other commercial and industrial flooring partners soon.

Granted, the partnership is limited to EMEA right now (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), but that's not bound to last forever. Availability is set for 2014.

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Desso LED carpet
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