We are approaching the 14th ISAL conference in Darmstadt. As one of the few veterans from the very beginning, I take the opportunity to address you, dear readers from the DVN community and make some personal comments mixed with hard facts from the now 27-year history of ISAL conferences.
Looking to the bare numbers, this scientific conference is more than outstanding. In 2019 alone 1,000 visitors came to Darmstadt just for ISAL. Over these 27 years 1,246 lectures and papers from 25 nations have been presented.
Looking a little into the story of those more than 1,000 papers, it was—and is—a precise mirror of what the lighting community has been covering in that time window. We saw in those 27 years technologies come and go. It all started with Xenon; design improvements, and performance papers. In the course of the years many technologies started with the words “NEW” but silently they were buried by reality. Like in 1995 the ramp-up of Neon-tube technology for cars was reported. Well, it did not survive, but xenon kept us all going for a while. For more tops and flops see this week’s in-depth article. And it’s still ongoing; in 2022 we talk about performance ratings; design improvements, Xenon is replaced by digital projections. So there is something of a red line going through all those 14 conferences, and this is repeated on these two days in April. The lighting community meets live again and listens, discusses, and understands the challenges of improvements in all fields.
So please be a part of the community—just come. Yes, there are concerns about Covid, and no, it is not over; the ISAL team is depending on the respectful behavior of the participants. But besides that, all those coming are awaiting that event eagerly. They are eager to meet and eager to learn the next steps of technological success. And this success is spelled I-S-A-L.
Sincerely yours,
Two information on DVN activity
– The DVN Interior workshop will be held in Köln on 26-27 April.
– The DVN report “Laser Technology for Vehicle Lighting and Sensing” is now available.