Instinctive Safety: Leveraging Colour, Contrast and Motion to Save Lives
Choosing the right Safety Halo system involves considering both technology and colour. The Safety Halo system leverages deep red lighting to trigger a psychological safety reflex, prompting individuals to instinctively remove themselves from danger zones. Red is a powerful colour associated with danger, urgency, and warning, deeply rooted in human instincts. This innate response aligns with the Peltzman Effect or Risk Compensation theory, which suggests that people will move away from perceived danger before it occurs.
Technological considerations also play a crucial role. LED lighting is a cost-effective option suitable for exclusion zones with a projection distance of up to 4 metres. In contrast, laser lighting offers high contrast and saturation, making it visible to those who are red/green colour blind. Laser lighting can project over hundreds of metres, making it ideal for larger machinery and applications requiring long-distance visibility, such as cranes.
Technology: LED versus Laser
Laser Lighting: Laser light's intense brightness and high colour saturation make it highly visible and suitable for applications requiring long-range visibility or standout visual impact. Laser lighting is known to be distinguishable to individuals with colour blindness due to its distinct characteristics of high colour saturation and contrast ratios
LEDs: LEDs are well-suited for general lighting and applications where uniform illumination is important. They provide good visibility and are comfortable for extended viewing periods. LED’s are only suitable for short range visibility.
Laser Lighting
"Laser" is an acronym for "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation."
Laser lighting utilises the principles of "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation" to produce highly focused, intense beams of light. Unlike traditional light sources, lasers emit coherent light, which means the light waves are aligned in phase and travel in a narrow, precise beam. This characteristic makes laser lighting ideal for applications requiring sharp, bright illumination over long distances or precise targeting. Laser lighting is increasingly used in entertainment, automotive lighting, medical procedures, and industrial applications where visibility, accuracy, and efficiency are critical.
Pros:
Brightness: Laser light is highly intense and focused, providing exceptionally bright illumination that can be seen over long distances and in bright ambient conditions.
Colour Saturation: Laser light has high colour saturation, producing vivid and true colours that are visually striking and easily distinguishable.
Energy Efficiency: Laser diodes are efficient in converting electrical energy into light, making them energy-efficient and suitable for applications where power consumption is critical.
Longevity: Laser diodes have a long operational life, often exceeding that of LEDs and traditional light sources, which reduces maintenance and replacement costs.
Cons:
Complexity: Laser lighting systems can be more complex to design and implement due to the need for precise optical alignment and safety measures.
Regulations: The use of laser technology is subject to stringent regulatory requirements and safety standards to protect against potential hazards.
LED Lighting
LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting has revolutionised the lighting industry with its energy efficiency, longevity, and versatility. LEDs convert electrical energy into light efficiently, consuming significantly less power than traditional lighting sources while emitting very little heat. They are available in a wide range of colours and can be used in various applications from residential and commercial lighting to automotive, signage, and displays. LED lighting offers instant brightness, excellent colour rendering, and durability, with LED bulbs typically lasting much longer than incandescent or fluorescent counterparts. These qualities make LED lighting a popular choice for both indoor and outdoor applications, contributing to energy savings and environmental sustainability efforts worldwide.
Pros:
Versatility: LEDs come in various colours and can be used in a wide range of applications, from general lighting to specialised uses like displays and automotive lighting.
Energy Efficiency: LEDs are generally energy-efficient and consume less power compared to traditional lighting sources, making them cost-effective over the long term. However, consider laser lighting, as it can be 90% more efficient than LED’s!
Durability LEDs have a reasonable lifespan and are robust, capable of withstanding shock, vibration, and temperature fluctuations better than traditional lighting sources.
Cost: LED diodes are a relatively cheap lighting source as extreme level of production has enabled significant economies of scale. Whilst more expensive than traditional lighting methods, it is significantly cheaper than Laser lighting.
Colour Rendering: LEDs can achieve reasonable colour rendering, however Laser lighting should be considered for producing vivid and true colours that are visually striking and easily distinguishable
Cons:
Directionality: LEDs emit light in a specific direction, which can sometimes lead to uneven distribution of light and require additional optics for proper illumination. It is difficult to get a defined straight line out of LED lighting.
Heat Management: While LEDs are energy-efficient, they still generate significant heat. Proper heat sinking and thermal management are crucial to maintain performance and lifespan, as heat is the number one reason for degrading electronics.
Cost: Initial costs for high-quality LEDs and associated components (like drivers and heat sinks) can be higher compared to traditional lighting options, however are a lot cheaper than laser lighting options.
In summary, both LED and laser lighting technologies have their strengths and weaknesses. LEDs are versatile, energy-efficient, and suitable for a wide range of applications. Laser lighting offers intense brightness and vivid colours but requires careful handling due to safety considerations. The choice between LED and laser lighting depends on specific application requirements, safety considerations, desired visual effects and most of all, projection distances.
Colour: which is most suitable for my application?
Understanding the combination of luminous efficacy and psychological responses to colours is crucial for enhancing safety and communication. Luminous efficacy measures how bright a light appears to the human eye for a given power output, with green light appearing the brightest due to our eye's sensitivity, followed by red and then blue. Psychologically, Red alerts us to danger, green reassures safety, and blue fosters trust and reliability without triggering any psychological safety response. By leveraging these principles, safety protocols can be designed to maximise visibility and elicit appropriate psychological responses, ensuring effective hazard communication and safe behaviour.
Understanding Luminous Efficacy.
Luminous efficacy measures how bright a light appears to the human eye for a given power output. It takes into account the sensitivity of our eyes to different colours. For the same power output, green light appears the brightest because our eyes are most sensitive to it, giving it the highest luminous efficacy. Red appears slightly dimmer and blue lights appear even dimmer as our eyes are less sensitive to these colours, resulting in lower luminous efficacy. Thus, luminous efficacy reflects the efficiency of different lights in producing visible brightness to us.
Different colours of light, like blue, red, and green, have different luminous efficacy even if they use the same amount of power. This is because our eyes are more sensitive to some colours than others.
For example:
Green Light: Our eyes are most sensitive to green light, so it appears the brightest and has the highest luminous efficacy. This means green light uses its power very efficiently to appear bright to us.
Red Light: Our eyes are slightly less sensitive to red light, so it doesn't appear quite as bright as green light, even if both use the same amount of power. Therefore, red light has lower luminous efficacy.
Blue Light: Our eyes are also less sensitive to blue light compared to red. So, blue light appears dimmer than red light for the same power usage, giving it the lowest luminous efficacy of the three colours.
In short, even with the same power, green light looks brighter than red and red looks brighter than blue because our eyes are naturally more responsive to green, then red, then blue respectively.
Psychological responses to colour
Colour plays a significant role in human psychology, influencing emotions, behaviours, and responses. Understanding these effects is crucial in producing safety protocols that cause positive psychological responses to danger and result in subconscious safe behaviour to remove oneself from the danger.
Red: Danger or STOP
Red is a powerful colour often associated with danger, urgency, and warning. This psychological response is deeply rooted in human instincts, where red signifies blood and threat. In modern contexts, red is universally used in stop signs, traffic lights, and emergency signals. It grabs attention immediately, alerting individuals to potential hazards and prompting them to take action or exercise caution.
Green: Safe or GO
Green is synonymous with safety, calmness, and permission. It is widely used in safety signs, indicating exits, first aid stations, and safe areas. In traffic lights, green signals 'go,' allowing movement and progress. Psychologically, green is associated with nature and tranquillity, creating a sense of reassurance and well-being. Its soothing effect helps reduce stress and promotes a sense of safety. Not an ideal colour for creating danger exclusion zones.
Blue: Trust and Reliability
Unlike red, which demands immediate attention, blue is more passive and promotes a relaxed state of mind. Blue evokes feelings of trust, reliability, and calmness. It is often used in corporate branding, medical facilities, and security services to create a sense of professionalism and dependability. Blue has a calming effect, reducing anxiety and fostering a sense of stability. It is also used to signify information or instructions that require thoughtful consideration. Blue is not an effective colour when signalling danger.
The Role of Colours in Human Behaviour
The psychological responses to these colours are not just cultural but also biological. Colours influence mood, decision-making, and even physiological responses. For instance:
Red can increase heart rate and adrenaline levels, preparing the body for action.
Green can lower heart rate and relax the body, promoting recovery and calmness.
Blue can reduce stress and create a conducive environment for concentration and focus.
Application in Safety and Design
Understanding these psychological effects is essential for effective design and safety measures. In workplaces, using red for emergency or danger areas, green for safety or guides, and blue for informative signage, can enhance safety and efficiency by leveraging its unconscious psychological effects.
Colours significantly impact human psychology, influencing emotions and actions. Red alerts us to danger, green reassures safety, and blue fosters trust. Recognizing and utilising these responses can enhance communication, safety, and overall effectiveness in various environments.
In conclusion, red is the most effective colour due to its powerful psychological impact, which prompts an immediate and instinctive response to danger, significantly enhancing human behaviour towards safety. While green and blue have their uses, they do not elicit the same urgent reaction. Additionally, red has a higher luminous efficacy than blue, making it much more visible. This combination of strong psychological influence and sufficient brightness makes red the optimal choice for safety protocols.
Laser Visibility & Colour Blindness
Laser lighting, with its distinct characteristics of high colour saturation and contrast ratios, can be perceived by most individuals who are colour blind due to the unique properties of laser light. Colour blindness, or colour vision deficiency, primarily affects the perception of certain colours, typically reds and greens, among affected individuals. However, laser light is characterised by its monochromatic and narrow wavelength band, often appearing as intense and pure colours such as red, green, or blue.
For individuals with red-green colour blindness, which is the most common form, laser light can still be distinguished because it emits a single wavelength that is clearly differentiated from its surroundings. This clarity and intensity make laser light stand out against backgrounds, even for those who struggle with distinguishing between reds and greens in everyday contexts.
Furthermore, the high contrast ratio provided by laser lighting enhances visibility for colour-blind individuals. The sharp distinction between the laser beam and its surroundings makes it easier to perceive and track, aiding in tasks where precise visual discrimination is crucial, such as in safety systems like the Safety Halo.
In essence, while individuals with colour blindness may have difficulty distinguishing between certain colours in everyday life, they can generally perceive laser lighting effectively due to its distinctive characteristics of high colour saturation, narrow wavelength spectrum, and high contrast ratio, which facilitate clear visibility and differentiation from the background environment.
Humans Sensitivity to Recognizing Movement:
Movement serves as a fundamental protective mechanism ingrained in all humans. Our ability to detect movement is crucial for survival, as it alerts us to potential threats or changes in our environment quicker than stationary objects can. This heightened sensitivity to movement is rooted in our evolutionary history, where early humans needed to quickly identify predators or prey in their surroundings to ensure survival.
From an anatomical perspective, our visual system is finely tuned to detect motion. Specialised cells in the retina called motion-sensitive neurons are particularly adept at detecting movement across different directions and speeds. These neurons send signals to the brain's visual processing centres, where incoming information about movement is rapidly interpreted and analysed.
Psychologically, our attention is naturally drawn to movement because it represents change and potential significance in our environment. This inherent response allows us to quickly shift our focus towards moving objects, assessing whether they pose a threat or require further attention. In everyday scenarios, such as crossing a busy street or participating in sports activities, our ability to perceive and react to movement plays a critical role in ensuring our safety and success.
In essence, movement acts as a built-in safeguard that enables us to swiftly identify and respond to dynamic changes in our surroundings. This innate protective mechanism not only enhances our awareness and survival instincts but also underscores the intricate adaptability of the human visual system.
Applying this principle to warehouse safety, we have developed a walkway system that utilises projectors to mark the walkway in a warehouse. THe system has the ability to detect a forklift in the proximity and when it does so, it will turn the walkway off and turn on a danger symbol. This change in imagery on the floor is quickly seen by the human eye triggering the fundamental protective mechanism ingrained in all humans. By doing so, the pedestrian is now alert to oncoming danger, can assess the danger and make an informed decision to continue on once the danger has passed.
In addition, a flashing system can be added to the Safety Halo, so the exclusion zone lighting is more quickly observed by a human, again triggering the fundamental protective mechanism ingrained in all humans, so they can assess the danger and act appropriately to keep themselves safe.
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