Engineered Light to Improve Health, Food

Intentionally controlled light can help regulate human health and productivity by eliciting various hormonal responses. Tailored LED wavelengths and intensities also can efficiently stimulate plant growth, alter their shapes and increase their nutritional value, opening a new world of scientific and technological possibilities for indoor farming.

“LED lighting is only in its infancy,” the authors write. “We now stand at the threshold of what might be called engineered light.”
“That’s not to ignore the integration of LEDs with the internet of things,” Tsao said, “which is already happening with LED integration with electronics, sensors and communications.” The so-called internet of things refers to electronic circuits that can communicate with each other while embedded in a variety of everyday devices.

In short, the inevitable broadening of LED usage could add value to society far greater than the energy saved in lighting homes and buildings, the authors write. The research was supported by the Department of Energy’s Solid State Lighting Program. https://www.newswise.com/articles/engineered-light-could-improve-health-food-suggests-sandia-labs-researcher-in-nature-paper