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Luminous ceiling from Philips simulates daylight to comfort critically ill

October 25, 2013 | By Anthony Capkun



October 24, 2013 – Philips says it has developed a media-enabled luminous ceiling that can simulate daylight to comfort critically ill patients. The LED-based ceiling has been introduced into clinical use by the Charité Campus Virchow Clinic in Berlin as part of a stress-reducing concept called ‘Parametric Spatial Design’.

Hospital staff can enter the desired parameters and the sky-like area creates visuals and light moods customized to the situation of individual patients, enabled by software. The clinic has implemented the concept in two of its intensive care patient rooms with the aim of enhancing the healing environment for patients who are severely ill. (Photo 4 shows the ICU before the upgrade.)

The luminous ceiling concept from Philips combines the rhythm of daylight and the effects of “gentle, colourful light and visual content”. It incorporates 15,400 LEDs and extends from the ceiling onto the wall in front of the patients bed, filling their field of view. In addition to the RGB LEDs, high-performance LEDs with warm-white and cold-white colour temperatures have also been integrated into the ceiling.

They are able to produce light output comparable to the light from a clear sky in summer, says the company, thereby supporting the patient’s natural day/night rhythm and helping promote healthy sleep patterns.

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Until now there has been very little data available about the health-related effects of hospital rooms with a controllable atmosphere, says Philips. For this reason, intensive care physicians, psychologists and sleep researchers at the clinic will continue to work with partners to use the integrated spatial concept for research over the coming months.


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