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BalancedCare™ Healthcare Lighting

Lighting

BIOS SkyBlue™

Axis is partnering with BIOS to seamlessly integrate SkyBlue technology in Axis luminaires, with the aim to create environments that improve alertness and promote better sleep, health and well-being.
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Introducing BIOS Gen 2

BIOS SkyBlue technology has now evolved into its second generation, offering improved color consistency, higher efficiency and more control options. As a result, Axis has expanded its circadian lighting offering with new and improved SkyBlue alternatives on select luminaires.

See expanded SkyBlue offering

What is BIOS SkyBlue?

Life is all about contrast, perhaps none as important as light and dark, day and night. As humans, we have evolved with blue sky and daylight as natural cues to keep our body clocks aligned with the 24-hour day. This healthy contrast between daylight and darkness allows our circadian rhythms to function as designed.

BIOS SkyBlue communicates with the body on a biological level by providing a specific wavelength of light that stimulates our circadian system. It works in conjunction with traditional white light LEDs, so it maintains the appearance of white light in familiar color temperatures. SkyBlue lighting systems can deliver the benefits of natural light without compromising light quality.

How does it work?

BIOS SkyBlue lighting solutions deliver the health-enhancing blue-sky wavelength of the light spectrum. Recently discovered photo receptors in the human eye – photosensitive retinal ganglion cells or ipRGCs – contain the protein, melanopsin, which is highly sensitive to that blue-sky wavelength. When melanopsin is stimulated by light, the ipRGCs send a signal to the body’s master clock, telling it to reset its cycle for the next 24 hours. That signal triggers a variety of biological processes, including essential hormone production (e.g. early morning cortisol for alertness and nighttime melatonin to promote sleep). As a result, SkyBlue, with its 490 nm peak in the light spectrum, can help provide an effective stimulus during the day to promote healthy circadian rhythms. SkyBlue also peaks in the far-red wavelengths (near 660 nm) to help healthcare professionals better discern veins and visually diagnose and treat diseases through skin, such as cyanosis.


Axis Innovation Center CO

Where is SkyBlue most useful?

Everyday applications where people stand to benefit most from enhanced alertness resulting from high melanopic content for circadian regulation, including:
  • Office
  • Classroom
  • Healthcare (acute & continuum of care)
  • Hospitality
  • Behavioral Health Facilities
  • Wellness/Fitness Centers
  • Transportation Control Centers
  • Military Operations & Training Centers
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To the naked eye, the white light produced by an Axis luminaire with SkyBlue option may appear identical to the white light from traditional LEDs, but the actual spectrum is different. Axis luminaires with SkyBlue deliver greater melanopic content, which is reflected in higher melanopic ratios which contribute to higher Equivalent Melanopic Lux (EML), Melanopic Equivalent Daylight Illuminance (MEDI), and Circadian Stimulus (CS) calculations, three current circadian lighting metrics. When compared to traditional LEDs, SkyBlue technology can also achieve equivalent circadian impact at lower illuminance levels, resulting in better visual comfort.

 

NEW!
A second generation of BIOS technology — with improved color consistency, higher efficiency, and more control options — has expanded the Axis Lighting offering.

Two Basic Solutions

Static SkyBlue and Dynamic SkyBlue

BIOS SkyBlue technology requires no spectral adjustments. It is available in a choice of correlated color temperatures (CCTs): 3000K, 3500K and 4000K. The static spectrum delivers a steady but invisible blue-light boost to white light throughout the day, with superior circadian impact. The dynamic spectrum contains full SkyBlue content and can be dimmed to gradually remove the ‘blue’, while keeping light output constant. This is important for 24-hour facilities or evening applications where full light output is desired as the day progresses, but there is a desire to minimize circadian impact in the evening.

Two Additional Solutions

DynamicCare™ for BalancedCare™ and BIOS Tunable White

Axis now offers a dynamic SkyBlue solution that works specifically with select BalancedCare products, which we call DynamicCare™ for BalancedCare. We also offer a BIOS tunable white option (BTW), which allows separate control of spectrum and intensity.  More options – more design flexibility.

See our BIOS Technology Guide for more detailed descriptions
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Static SkyBlue Light Engine

  • Supports daytime circadian stimulus
  • No color tuning or correlated color temperature (CCT) adjustment required
  • Color of light remains constant throughout the day:
    • 490 nm ‘blue boost’ does not reduce during the day
    • Apparent CCT of 3000K, 3500K or 4000K remains constant
  • High melanopic to photopic (m/p) ratio
    • While m/p ratio will remain constant if light level is dimmed, EML, MEDI, and CS values will be affected due to reduced vertical illuminance
  • CRI >80; R9 >75 at each CCT
  • Simple controls
    • Works with all LED drivers
    • Compatible with standard 0-10V dimming
  • Suited to Axis and BalancedCare products
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Dynamic SkyBlue Light Engine

  • Supports daytime circadian stimulus, reduces nighttime stimulus, based on user-defined schedule
  • No color tuning or CCT adjustment required
  • Uses the integral BIOS Bio-Dimming™ module to regulate SkyBlue stimulus
  • SkyBlue content can be removed as day progresses, through approximately the first 20% of Bio-Dimming, reducing melanopic impact while keeping light levels for visual tasks constant
  • CCT reduces to 2700K once SkyBlue is removed
  • High melanopic to photopic (m/p) ratio
  • CRI >80; R9 >75 at each CCT
  • Simple controls: Uses any single-channel constant current LED driver with 0-10V dimming interface
  • Suited only to Axis products
Disclaimer

Disclaimer

While Axis makes the BIOS SkyBlue technology available, the ultimate decision of where, when and how to use it is at the discretion of the designer.