Tiny LED lights could one day deliver Wi-Fi-like communications delivering gigabits of data per second while acting as lighting for the home, office or aircraft cabin.

When it comes to spectroscopy in the field, portability, flexibility and ease of use are critical.

The first portable spectroscopy systems used a compact microspectrometer, connected to a laptop computer – but the latest generation of systems has taken advantage of powerful compact microprocessors and wireless handheld devices to eliminate the need for a PC in the field altogether.

Lasers are getting faster and more powerful – and mirror developments are reflecting those trends, both figuratively and physically.

The healing properties of light are wide-ranging; simply getting enough sunlight can improve mood disorders like seasonal affective disorder (SAD), for example. Light therapies are effective at treating skin complaints like psoriasis, acne, or eczema, psychiatric disorders, as well as sleep disorders and improving circadian rhythm.

Cobolt began as a spin-out from both the Royal Institute of Technology (the technical university of Stockholm, known as KTH) and ACREO, a national institute, in 2000. It was founded by Håkan Karlsson and Fredrik Laurell, the head of the department of physics at KTH.