Weaving LEDs through carpets could transform the look of public and private spaces
The new technology could be used as quickly adaptable signage in public places - or create new possibilities for interior design
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Your support makes all the difference.Dutch electronics firm Philips has teamed up with Desso, the firm behind Wembley Stadium’s hybrid pitch, in order to develop an LED light transmissive carpet.
The carpet will have numerous LED lights integrated into its fibres, and looks as if it could be used in a variety of ways.
The firms envisage the carpet being used in the workplace, hotels and a number of other public buildings, guiding people around and alerting them to the safety exits and routes.
A promo photo on the Philips website shows the carpet being utilised in an airport, directing travellers to the departure gates. Another is of a cinema, with luminous arrows guiding customers to their seats. There’s even a “do not disturb” message on the carpet outside a hotel room.
Click the gallery above to see how the new technology might be used.
The flexibility of the carpet also gives it an advantage over traditional, static signage. If, for example, the carpet is being used for safety purposes, and then suddenly the situation changes, it’s no problem – the lights can be reprogrammed to display the updated information.
Philips and Desso also see interior designers making use of the carpet, claiming that it could be used for “enhancing the ambiance and atmosphere of the interior of buildings combining light with design and colour.”
Further details, including the name, are set to be announced next year as part of a “full go-to market launch” in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
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