Novalink Frauenfeld
» I’m like a kind of technology
scout, constantly on the
lookout for new developments
and ideas.«
Anton Biersack
is the Chief Technology Officer at Occhio.
The graduate engineer is head of the
Electronics, LED Technology, Optics and
Light Control Departments within the company.
» With the order from
Novalink we were able
to really demonstrate
our ability to innovate.«
Mr. Biersack, you are the Chief Technology Officer at Occhio,
how would you explain to a non-specialist what it is you do?
Anton Biersack Firstly we develop the electronics in the luminaires and
the software for everything to do with light control. These are all the
features with which light can be controlled. Warm or cool, bright or dark,
upward or downward. We also cooperate closely with our manufacturers
to ensure that everything runs optimally, from the idea up to the reali-
zation. And my job also involves being constantly on the lookout for new
developments and ideas, like a kind of technology scout.
Like with the order for Swiss company Novalink?
Anton Biersack Exactly. For this order we illuminated the office rooms in a
modern, round building in a completely new way. The customer develops
alarm and security systems and was therefore very tech-savvy and had
precise ideas: The entire lighting system was to be controlled automatically
using motion sensors in the ceiling, walls and luminaires. The goal was to
create a uniform lighting atmosphere that still enabled a certain amount of
flexibility at the workstation.
Interview with Anton Biersack
Would you say it was an order in which you pushed
the limits of what was technically possible?
Anton Biersack (laughs) The order certainly spurred on our ambition,
but we were able to really demonstrate our ability to innovate. We soon
realized that we wouldn’t be able to implement the customer’s wishes
with our standard luminaires from the Mito linear series at the time. As a
result, we developed a new software and modified the control functions
and sensors in the luminaires – of course, without changing the design.
Only with a combination of motion sensors in the room and in the lumi-
naires were we able to ensure the desired result: a control system based
on daylight that changed the color temperature depending on the time
of day and weather, and automatically turned the luminaires on or off
depending on whether or not there was anyone there. It is controlled
by our Bluetooth-based light control system Occhio air which is also
available as an app.
In future, you plan to pool together control options specially
for the project area with Occhio air plus.
What exactly can lighting designers, developers and
architects expect from this?
Anton Biersack We offer professionals entirely new possibilities when
it comes to light control: As of now, luminaires can be controlled
simultaneously, for example – using our light control system Occhio air,
without the need for a cable. It is also possible to automate the control of
luminaires using sensors, as we did for Novalink. DALI gateways enable
the option to integrate all luminaires directly into the building services.
And for those who wish to use the Occhio air network »remotely« and not
just within range of their phone, we have created new solutions for this,
too. I look forward to seeing what kind of projects will be realized with
Occhio air plus in the near future. And I am very excited about the new
possibilities we are providing for architects and designers, enabling them
to control the light in their projects in a state-of-the-art way.
Anton Biersack
Chief Technology Officer – Occhio
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