Fiat-Lux

Abstract

We fuse science and design thinking to create a novel, IoT interactive urban lights system focused on increasing positive affect among pedestrians. Our contributions are three-fold. First, the design, construction, and evaluation of an efficient interactive lighting system focused on wellbeing, as opposed to systems focused on utility or landscaping. Second, we used scientific methods to discover basic design parameters for affective outcomes. Third, we optimized user experiences for low energy profiles, positive affect, and interactivity. Tested interactions show positive and some unexpected negative responses. Optimal interactive designs cut energy consumption by 75% while maintaining positive affect. Furthermore, card sorting design exercises revealed an inverse relationship between perceived pleasant feelings and interactivity. We conclude by discussing the implications of our research for the design of coherent, attractive, and efficient urban lighting.

Smart City and High-Tech Urban Interventions Targeting Human Health: An Equity-Focused Systematic Review

“…Among the included studies, the majority (89%) of articles were based in Australia, Europe (particularly the United Kingdom), and the United States. The only article to incorporate and discuss a guiding theory for their intervention and analyses were Paredes et al [74], who noted the use of the theory of implicit interaction. The heterogeneity of interventions with respect to strategies, tools, methods, aims, and required resources was vast.…”

“…Examinations of context-orientated outcomes were observed in the evaluations of exercise opportunities for car commuters in traffic situations [82], commuters' stress and perceived problems during trips to work as monitored by a travel companion [83], commuting stress in different simulated situations (e.g., city conditions, highway conditions) that drivers are commonly exposed to [84], commuters' mindfulness during the course of trips [85], and commuter support via exposure to different themes (e.g., natural environments, urban scenes) based on a mood-sensing steering wheel [86]. Additionally, in commuting activities, lighting systems for pedestrians were investigated, assessing their impacts in numerous areas, such as urban (non-residential), leisure, residential, and traffic or commuting places [74].…”

“…Quality Assessment of quantitative articles included in the systematic review (n = 21). BothParedes et al (2016) and (2018) used mixed methods and evaluated the health outcomes using both methods, however we deemed the quantitative analyses as being more substantial. # Pichlmair et al (2018) used mixed methods and evaluated the health outcome using both methods, however we deemed the quantitative analysis as being more substantial.…”

A Conversation with Actuators

“…Similarly, the context of the space can be leveraged to further alter the message, enabling distributed behaviors and control for constructing large collective displays [45,10,8,27], or as site-specific constructions (e.g. urban street lighting [36]).…”

Exploring Urban Lighting Design Effect on Citizens’ Emotions through the Application of Kansei <span aria-describedby="tippy-44">Methodology

“…It is a complex issue that involves multiple aspects, e.g., energy consumption, lighting pollution, aesthetics and safety [7]. To date, some researchers have provided insights into the body of knowledge involving city lighting, from different perspectives: energy performance, smart cities, user satisfaction, etc [8][9][10][11][12]. Research is still limited in fields such as environmental science, psychology, biology, medicine and astronomy, specifically the effects of LED lighting on animals, plants and mainly people [13].…”