VTT has developed a dynamic lighting
system for retail environments using networked depth sensors for real-time
people tracking. Shop owners and consumers benefit from an improved and more
individual shopping experience. The technology was evaluated in a real-life
pilot at the Anttila department store in Oulu, Finland.
Commercial lighting solutions for the
retail market are based on static lighting schemes, where dynamic dimming based
on simple presence sensors can be achieved for energy saving. Otherwise,
lighting is kept static throughout the season, using mostly neutral white light
for both general lighting and spotlights. As a result, shop space can look
monotonic, and for customers it is not easy to locate oneself or find specific
departments that are not close to main corridors and escalators.
VTT has developed a sensor-based
dynamic lighting control solution. This enables creating dynamic personalized
lighting schemes, improving shopping experience inside a retail store.
The system creates a rewarding and
interesting shopping experience, by adjusting lighting dynamically depending on
where people move inside the store. The sales items and landmarks in the store
can be highlighted for improved orientation. The sections of the store outside
of main corridors can be made more rewarding and inviting. As the consumers see
the collections more clearly, they feel more comfortable; spend more time in the
shop, and this has a positive effect on sales.
The dynamic lighting control system is
based on networked depth sensors attached to the ceiling of the retail store.
The sensors track the positions and movements of customers with 10 cm accuracy.
The tracking is done anonymously without taking camera images, so customer
privacy is not threatened. Processed information from the sensor network is fed
into a smart lighting control system. The control messages to the actual
luminaires are sent via standard DALI and DMX control interfaces.
The dynamic lighting control concept
was tested at the Anttila department store in Oulu, Finland in late 2013. The
pilot system was designed as a cooperation between VTT and the Oulu School of
Architecture, University of Oulu. The poll at the shop revealed that consumers
found dynamic lighting more attractive than the ordinary static one. “This has
been an interesting experiment, and we have learned that dynamic lighting
control has a potential far beyond the traditional energy-saving aspects”, says
Sami Lindholm, Property Manager, Kesko Corporation.
The luminaires used in the pilot
project were provided by the Fagerhult lighting company. “We see this technology
opening new horizons for the future of retail lighting. Dynamic lighting gives
our customers a new way to differentiate their retail space and enables better
shopping”, says Lauri Pimenoff, Key Account Manager, Fagerhult.
