Photo Credit: Seoul Semiconductor

According to the Seoul Semiconductor:
“The brightness has been dramatically improved by 5 times over the conventional LED based on equivalent die surface area. The company expects further improvements will increase this to more than 10 times existing LEDs.”

As innovators continue to develop this progressive technology, efficacy increases OLED street lights options more efficient than any other light source available today.

The first street lamps were used by Roman and Greek civilization for security to avoid falling, tripping or being robbed. Oil lamps were predominantly used and are surprisingly the predecessors to an OLED street light. The oil lamps were manually lighted, sometimes by slaves.

Gas lighting was later used cities which also required manual lighting. Later they used ignition devices that lit the lamp when the gas supply was activated. Arc lamps were the first electric street lighting developed in 1875 by the Russian Pavel Yablochkov. By 1980, arc lighting was used in the United States.

Unlike an OLED street light, arc lights were harsh and maintenance-intensive because the carbon electrodes burned out quickly. An OLED street lights would last for tens of thousands of hours and offers softer lighting that is more natural. By the end of the 19th century, incandescent light bulbs were used for street lighting.

Currently high-intensity discharge lamps are used as well as HPS high pressure sodium lamps. White light technologies currently being developed include LED street lights and OLED street light options.

OLED lighting is also flatter to fit into any space or architecture with ease. OLED torch lights consume less energy than standard torch lights. They are also lightweight and durable, making them perfect for portable purposes. They do not contain toxic elements such as mercury so OLED torch lights are easy to dispose of without worrying about polluting the environment.

OLED torch lighting can be fixed to a wall to provide diffused natural lighting. Instead of a point-of-light look, the area has a warm glow of illumination. Traditional and modern décor use the ambiance of OLED torch lighting in hallways, corridors near staircases and even in office spaces such as reception areas. Unlike traditional sconce lighting, a cover is not necessary. This makes the options for creative OLED torch lighting in a variety of shapes and colors limited only by imagination.

OLED torch light can also be hand-held and used in lanterns for camping, outdoor living areas and indoors in various rooms. Because it does not emit heat, it is safe to hold and put on tables and other places without the risk of burning anything.

Recently Audi experimented with technologies that added Philips-made OLED panels to a car’s body including rear lights made from four OLED panels in red. OLED surfaces will be used in the Audi R8 and Q7 vehicles including OLED tail lights, signal turning lights, for speeding up and just to look great.
Animated OLED tail lights were one of their exciting experiments with this amazing technology.

Stephan Berlitz, Head of Lighting Electronics at Audi, said, “OLED surfaces themselves are the source of light, and the thin plates look attractive. They weigh little, light up extremely fast, develop only a small amount of heat, least for several tens of thousands of hours and don’t consume any more energy than conventional light-emitting diodes.”

At this rate of progression, people might have OLED tail lights and other OLED lighting in their vehicles in only a couple of years.

While OLED tail lights are possible now, developers are still working on the brightness for them to be effectively used as brake lights. There are minimum intensity requirements it is clear to drivers whether a vehicle is display tail lights or brake light that indicate an upcoming stop. The first LED tail lights were used in 1999 with the Cadillac DeVille. Now Audi is working on OLED vehicular lighting.

Another benefit of using OLED candles is they do not emit heat like other bulbs. Regular candles can cause fires as well as overheated bulbs. These risks are minimized or eliminated by using OLED candles.

The popularity of candle lighting has existed since the beginning of fire itself. OLED candles are the safe, energy-efficient way to get this type of timeless lighting.

To completely create a mood, OLED candles can also be dimmed. OLED lighting can be dimmed and brightened to illuminate an area in a certain way. Another attractive option are OLED candles for holiday lighting displays. From window lights to decorating the mantle, OLED candles are available in various colors and brightnesses to light up the occasion.

In the next decade, everyone from police officers to four-wheel driving enthusiasts may have an OLED light bar on their roof, bumper or grille.