Hands-free LED Light “LUMINURSE”

Aiming to Expand the Applications of the Ferrierite CO2 Concentration Device

Do Light Co., Ltd. (Shiroedacho, Izumo), the only manufacturer of AC (alternating current) powered LED lights in Japan, spent 3 years to develop “LUMINURSE,” an ear hooking, hands-free LED light which does not inflict light stress on the hospitalized patients, by reflecting the words of nurses, “we want to work at night using both hands.” It is an “Izumo Brand Product” certified by Izumo City, which was created through industry-academia-government collaboration among Shimane University Faculty of Medicine, Shimane Fujitsu Limited, Shimane Prefecture, and Izumo City.

             Hands-free LED Light “LUMINURSE”

▼Reflecting the opinions from the field and working out the ideas

　 In November 2014, our company received a request from Collaboration Center, Shimane University, to “develop a LED light with soft lighting that frees both hands, which is demanded strongly by nurses,” and our President Hiroyuki Tanaka decided to take up the challenge saying “I want to help the nurses and patients.”

　However, our company’s specialty lay in large LED lighting, and we had no development know-how. In addition, no hands-free lights available on the market was able to illuminate a certain area required for medical practice, and only the expensive head equipment-type lights were available for medical use.

We therefore consulted with Shimane Fujitsu, with which we had a business relationship for many years, and launched a joint research in April 2015. We collected the needs by conducting a questionnaire on approximately 60 nurses in the field as well as interviews. There were advanced requests that went beyond our imagination, such as “having both hands free,” “small and light,” “ear hooking type would be convenient,” and “no disturbing the sleeping patients.”

President Tanaka talks about his thoughts at the time of development.

▼ Avoiding the light stress in patients

With reference to the opinions from nurses, we invented a light that turns on automatically by bowing at a 60-degree angle without using both hands. We also incorporated two lights so that the irradiated range could be switched. In addition, to prevent the stimulation of the patient with light, we added functions to solve various problems that nurses had in the field, such as a function to turn on and off slowly in 2 seconds.

What was especially difficult was the strength and shape of the headband to attach the light. We set an appropriate strength in the headband so that it would not easily slip off even when worn on the back of the head, and added a function to attach and remove the light with a magnet at the tip of the band. We achieved an ultralight weight of 37 g, and completed the prototype in August 2016 and launched the product in September 2017. We also applied for patents in Japan and the United States.

This year, which is the 10-year anniversary for the company, President Tanaka is even more eager. “We want to raise our name recognition and focus on sales for now. We would also like to focus on overseas expansion.”

President Tanaka explaining LUMINURSE.

There is a touch sensor on the side of the light, which can be used to adjust the irradiation range.

■Company Profile

Do Light Co., Ltd.

Hiroyuki Tanaka, President and Representative Director

Address:　1147 Shiroeda-cho, Izumo City, Shimane Prefecture

http://dolight.jp/（外部サイト）

TEL：+81-853-24-8380

FAX：+81-853-24-8381