HONG KONG — Philips Lighting Hong Kong has recently appointed Mr. Timothy Mak as the new Group General Manager.
Timothy holds a Bachelor degree in Computer Science from the University of London. Before joining the group, Timothy was the Managing Director of Avaya Hong Kong, responsible for Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan region. He has accumulated 27 years of experience in the business communication systems and I.T. industry. Previously, he had also held management positions in Korea and Greater China, enriching his management experience in the Asia Pacific Region. Timothy aspires to improve people’s lives through continuous innovations under his leadership.
Philips Lighting has held an Innovation Day press event in Shanghai earlier this year, highlighting the key role of connected lighting technology for the development of smart cities. Urban populations are growing rapidly and 60 percent of the world population is predicted to be living in cities by 2030 . Philips Lighting understands how to address this scenario through innovative and locally relevant lighting solutions and it is developing a people-centric blueprint for lighting and Internet of Things (IoT) services in the smart city of the future. In light of the massive urban growth, the company shows how connected LED lighting has the potential to enhance quality of life, transform everyday experiences and services and ensure sustainability in our ever expanding global cities.
Philips Lighting’s look into the city of 2030 explores four scenarios which demonstrate how future lighting technology can deliver more sustainable, better-connected and more enjoyable cities. These are:
1. Connected Streets
Connected LED street lights not only provide highly efficient energy and quality light, but they are also sensor nodes on an informative highway. In 2030 connected street lights could stream data between millions of devices. The connected lighting infrastructure collects and distributes data and improves city services such as light, traffic, air quality, public safety, parking and other location based services, leveraging state-of-the-art communication technologies. Autonomous vehicles navigate roads safely, using and communicating with sensors in street lights that scan the road and pavements, and provide a frame of reference by transmitting situational information to augment the vehicles’ on-board sensors.
The City of Los Angeles is embarking on a new pilot project to expand its smart city capabilities designed to help improve public safety and support city services for residents, visitors and local businesses. By leveraging the ubiquity and scale of Los Angeles’s existing connected street lighting infrastructure, Philips Lighting is deploying new technology and Internet of Things (IoT) functionality.
2. Interactive Public Spaces
Scarcity of space will compel cities to extend public spaces underground, with a seamless transition made possible by lighting that mimics natural daylight and makes people feel comfortable. The digital lighting system can send positional data to help drones navigate and deliver items, while responsive light walls display art and foster citizen interaction and creativity.
Philips Lighting’s Power over Ethernet (PoE) connected lighting system has transformed China’s first Nearly Zero Energy Building at the China Academy of Building Research (CABR) into a smart, sustainable and highly secure and connected office of the future. Philips Lighting reduces 75% lighting energy consumption in the building.
3. More Personalized Living
In the home of 2030, lighting will be able to synchronize with everything from your door bell to your television and music and will be fully adjustable to individual preferences. It will pre-empt your needs and complement your wellbeing, energize you, relax you and keep you safe.
In November 2016, Philips Lighting and Xiaomi joined forces to design and develop connected LED lighting products for Xiaomi’s smart home ecosystem in China.
Philips Lighting and Huawei Technologies have also signed a partnership agreement to ensure the seamless interoperability of the Philips Hue connected lighting system for the home with Huawei’s OceanConnect Internet of Things (IoT) platform. The partnership will further enhance the user experience by enabling Philips Hue lighting products to work seamlessly with other connected devices, systems and apps. An example scenario may be intrusion detection – where an IP security camera detects movement at night causing an alarm to sound and Philips Hue bulbs to flash blue and red throughout the house.
4. Sustainable City Farming
Beneath the city and in unused spaces, urban farms that use little water and no pesticides, can grow plants and vegetables sustainably – reducing the distance between the farm and your fork, increasing food security, ensuring provenance and protecting precious natural resources.
Since 2013, Philips Lighting collaborates with GrowUp Urban Farms that is a vertical urban farm established in an unused warehouse in East London’s industrial area. This is the first commercial aquaponic urban farm in the UK and produces 20,000 kilograms of fresh salads per annum with the help of Philips GreenPower LED lighting. “With the key role of connected lighting technology in the development of smart cities, we strive to further unlock the sustainable potentials of connected LED lighting with our fast growing technology,” said Timothy, the new Group General Manager of Philips Lighting Hong Kong.