Following the trends of the creation of the “The Internet of Things” (IoT) and the rapid penetration of SSL based lighting, it is very advantageous to connect the luminaires in buildings to the Internet. OpenAIS aims at setting the leading standard for inclusion of lighting for professional applications in to IoT, with a focus on office lighting. This will enable a transition from the currently existing closed and command oriented lighting control systems to an open and service oriented system architecture. Openness and service orientation will create an eco-system of suppliers of interoperable components and a market for apps that exploit the lighting system to add value beyond the lighting function. Added value can e.g. be related to more efficient use of the building, reduction of carbon footprint and increased comfort and wellbeing. In addition, IoT will facilitate smooth and effective interaction of the lighting system with other functions in a building such as e.g. HVAC, security and access control. Extensibility and security of the system architecture are important aspects and will be guaranteed. The OpenAIS project will define the requirements and use cases for offices in 2020, define the best open system architecture, identify existing ICT components to be used and develop additional components. The system will be validated by a pilot installation in a real office setting. After the OpenAIS project, the Consortium will pursue standardization of the system architecture, aiming at the creation of the leading standard for Internet connected lighting. The project brings together a strong collaboration of the leading lighting companies Zumtobel, Tridonic, and Philips and the major players in IoT technology ARM, NXP and Imtech. Consortium partner Johnson Controls represents the end user and academic knowledge on ICT and system architecture is present through TU/e and TNO-ESI. During the project, the Consortium will seek close cooperation with the IoT community.

The urgent need to provide miniaturized optical components is at the origin of the exponential growth of the micro-optics market over the last decade, with an increasing need for free-form micro-optics to address the challenges set by the photonics market for the five to ten years to come. The industrial demand for free-form microlens arrays (FMLAs) is a current market reality. However, the high access barriers to pre-commercial production capabilities in Europe prevent companies, especially SMEs, from commercially exploiting the FMLA technology. Aim of the project is to set up a self-sustainable pilot-line for the design and manufacturing of FMLAs solutions and their integration into high added-value products. The consortium translates urgent and high-impact industrial needs into industrially relevant predictive software packages, manufacturing tools and processes, characterization methods for in- and off-line quality inspection and integration schemes, all necessary for the successful demonstration in pre-commercial production runs. Objective of the project is 1) to mature the FMLAs manufacturing processes and functionalities from the current technology readiness level TRL 5 to TRL 7 and increase the overall manufacturing readiness level of the pilot line from MRL 5 -6 up to MRL 8-9 by adaptation of predictive algorithms into simulation packages, optimization of different ultraprecision micro-machining technologies for the origination of high-quality FMLAs, optimization of high-throughput UV imprint technologies, integration of a surface coating technique portfolio, optimization of the metrology procedure; 2) to implement six industrial use-cases demonstrating pilot manufacturing in their operational environment; 3) to establish an open-access, sustainable, distributed pilot line infrastructure with single entry point; 4) to validate the pilot line services through the implementation of 20 industrial pilot cases.