ByteLight System Guides Shoppers to Deals

Jun-09-14 The startup company ByteLight has paired with GE to make shopping easier with their network-connected, smart lighting system for retail stores.

The system, which was recently demonstrated at the LightFair industry conference in Las Vegas, would feature LED-based lights embedded with ByteLights chips. These chips would be able to communicate with a shopper's smartphone by both Visual Light Communications (VLC), which uses light pulses to transmit data, and via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).

While VLC is able to pinpoint a person's location within a few feet, the system can only work if the phone is outside the shopper's purse or pocket, since it requires a line of sight to set up the link. The dual communication chip system, however, could help encourage that direct link. As the system tracks the shopper moving through the store, the Bluetooth signal could be used to let the shopper know about special deals, enticing them to bring out their phone and allow the phone line-of-sight to the VLC for further communication.

More Info about this Invention:

[IEEE.ORG]
[BYTELIGHT]

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