Mexico. Providing information about promotions or features of a product at the same point of sale or indications for the visitor of an amusement park is a complex task that requires tools ranging from printed materials to digital signage.
In order to facilitate this work, Panasonic has developed the innovative LinkRay technology platform that combines the use of LED light frequencies, an app and information in the cloud, with the wide use of smartphones, so that it is the public itself that requests and obtains additional content.
Simply download the app, activate the smartphone camera and point it at an LED light source (screen, light sign or lamp on a sideboard) to receive extra data such as prices, coupons or schedules, even recipes or suggestions according to the user profile.
Among the advantages of LinkRay are the simplicity and speed of communication. Contrary to what happens with the reading of QR codes, with LinkRay the user does not have to get too close to the LED source, which allows many people to obtain information at the same time, it is only necessary to locate the phone within the irradiation area of the LED source.
In addition, being in communication with smartphones, the LinkRay platform is able to store information about the previous readings of users to obtain a statistical profile and with this data generate a marketing strategy based on the tastes and preferences of customers.
In its first stage, this technology was known as LightID, but Panasonic has decided to modify the trade name to LinkRay to highlight its functionality as a means of exchanging information.
How does LinkRay work?
With the app available on their smartphone, the user activates the camera and points it towards an LED light source, for example, a video screen that displays images of a product. The phone receives a code emitted by the LED light on the screen, the app identifies the code and communicates with the LinkRay platform, which sends the corresponding information to the phone, usually a URL with which the smartphone displays or downloads the contents from a content server via the Internet.
Where to use LinkRay?
The uses for this technological platform are very vast. For applications in the retail area, information about products such as prices, promotions or news can be encoded and displayed in digital signage systems, shop windows, luminous advertisements or public transport stations.
An example of this is the pilot project carried out in conjunction with the sportswear store ASICS, installed this year in the busy Shinagawa train station, in Tokyo, Japan. In this store, Panasonic has provided LinkRay-based business solutions that include three AREAS of LED light emission inside to offer more information about the products, as well as an advertisement outside the premises that redirects to the online shopping site, so that customers can know or purchase the products 24 hours a day.
In the fields of entertainment and culture there are also interesting possibilities. For example, in a museum exhibition, information about the exhibits can be encoded. The visitor will receive the information by pointing his phone at the lighting of the LED lamps that bathe the works, with which he will be able to obtain the related data in his own language, facilitating accessibility and optimizing the resources of the museum.
The readings of the codes in the LED lighting are done immediately, and you do not need to be too close to the light source, a great advantage when you think of a busy museum, or in rooms where it is not possible to stop long to scan a code.
We will certainly see more advances and applications of this technology with wide possibilities in the near future.
