Light Visually X-Transcending System, a startup company also known as LVX System, has built the first few lighting systems that will transmit information through flickering LED lights. You may say, well, flickering lighting in office buildings is annoying and causes eye strain, headaches, and is plain annoying. LED lights can flicker thousands of times per second, which is undetectable to the human eye. The LVX system’s cluster of flickering LED lights will communicate with computer modems and other technologies to transmit information over the internet, so computers will not have to be connected to the internet. Short range transmissions are getting crowded, said Mohsen Kavehrad, an electrical engineer that has been working with optical network technology for years. This may help speed up the system, especially with the lights transmitting at 3 megabytes per second, similar to a residential DSL line. The LVX system will be installed in six municipal buildings in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The city paid $10,000 for the system and is mostly excited for the electricity and maintenance savings. The new LED lights consume 36 watts of power, while the standard fluorescent lamps consume 100 watts.

The next generation of the LVX system may have “smarter” lighting. The lights will be able to detect if bright sunlight is coming into the room or it is empty and automatically dim the lights. The LEDs are also able to change color, so they can use a different color to lead employees and customers to an emergency exit. The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is also looking into using the LVX system, and installing cameras onto the LEDs to boost security system while also saving on electricity and maintenance! What will developers come up with next?