Hypergamut: a journey of innovation
Bringing a visionary lighting concept to life
When Eric Johannessen filed a patent for variable-spectrum lighting technology seven years ago, the components needed to build it didn't exist. Today, that visionary concept has become Hypergamut, Collins Aerospace's breakthrough lighting system that's at the cutting edge of aircraft cabin illumination.
Forwarding thinking
The story of Hypergamut begins not in a laboratory, but in the mind of Eric Johannessen, Senior Fellow in Lighting Electronics.
"I had submitted the patent seven years ago, and the technology wasn't available to make that light, but I knew it was coming," Johannessen recalls. His foresight anticipated the arrival of lower-cost, mid-power LEDs that would eventually enable the variable-spectrum lighting he envisioned.
This patient approach to innovation exemplifies Collins' strategic approach to product development. When the right components finally became available, the lighting team was ready to move from concept to reality.
Many lighting innovations start on the white board, where the focus is on imagination and artistry prior to moving to the technology to support.
A breakthrough in color palette and quality
Traditional aircraft cabin lighting systems rely on four LEDs to create their color palette. Hypergamut shatters this limitation by incorporating two additional LEDs in a carefully orchestrated cluster, opening up previously impossible color ranges and spectral combinations.
"It allows us to have really deep oranges and yellows, which everyone seems to want on the plane when they're talking about sunrises and sunsets," explains Kevin Lawrence, Product Chief for Lighting.
The additional LEDs aren't just about expanding the color palette. They enable what the industry calls a very high Color Rendering Index, making whites appear more natural and daylight-like. This improved color quality affects how materials, skin tones, and cabin surfaces appear to passengers, creating a more comfortable and authentic visual environment.
Hypergamut’s expanded LED array supports a larger color palette, such as deep oranges and yellows. It also enables a high Color Rendering Index, which makes whites appear more natural and daylight-light.
The science behind the spectrum
Perhaps Hypergamut's most innovative feature is its incorporation of cyan wavelengths, a specific frequency of light that falls between blue and green on the spectrum. This addition serves a biological purpose that passengers never consciously notice but benefit from physiologically.
"Humans have a biological reaction to cyan. It can make you feel more wakeful," Lawrence explains. "The passenger is not aware that you're doing this, but it will make somebody feel better and not feel so jet-lagged if you bring this light, this cyan, into the color spectrum when they're just waking up and they're having their meal."
The system can subtly adjust light wavelengths throughout a flight to help passengers' bodies prepare for their destination time zone. This management of the circadian rhythm represents a fundamental shift in how the industry can approach cabin lighting, from simple illumination to active passenger wellness technology.
Engineering challenges and solutions
Bringing Hypergamut from patent to product required working through some technical hurdles. The jump from four to six LEDs demanded new approaches and system control algorithms.
"We had to come up with new strategies to mix the lighting colors," Lawrence notes. "There's a lot of invention, a lot of 'try it, measure it, go back and make it better.'"
The development process also marked a milestone in Collins' collaborative approach. "This was actually the first time we worked with our Lippstadt, Germany site and all the lighting groups together in a distributed team to produce this," Johannessen reveals. Teams across mechanical, electrical, and software engineering disciplines coordinated across continents.
The timing proved fortuitous. Just as the technology matured, Collins received a customer inquiry that aligned perfectly with Hypergamut's capabilities. The market was ready for this level of innovation.
The team had to come up with new light mixing strategies and system control algorithms as part of Hypergamut’s development process.
Technology readiness and risk mitigation
Collins' systematic approach to technology development played a crucial role in Hypergamut's success. The company employs rigorous Technology Readiness Level (TRL) evaluations to ensure new innovations are mature enough for aerospace applications before committing to production.
"We have stages and very specific evaluations including using non-advocates to review what we're doing," Lawrence explains. This process helps identify potential failure modes early, whether electromagnetic interference, environmental durability, or performance issues, before they can potentially derail a program.
For Hypergamut, this meant extensive testing beyond standard aerospace requirements. The team had to ensure the complex six-LED system would perform reliably for 10-20 years of daily aircraft operations, pass impact testing, and meet stringent flammability standards while maintaining its sophisticated color-mixing capabilities.
Launch customer partnership
The development of Hypergamut benefited from close collaboration with a launch customer equally passionate about the technology.
"We were fortunate to have a launch customer that we were working closely with, too, who was also equally excited about bringing a unique experience to their passengers," Lawrence shares.
The system marks its entry into service this year.
Platform thinking: Hypergamut as an enabler
Unlike traditional lighting products designed for specific functions, Hypergamut represents a platform approach to cabin illumination. Johannessen compares it to Amazon's Alexa, a foundational technology that can be continuously enhanced through software updates.
"That platform can have more and more software updates that unlock other use cases," Johannessen explains. "Whether it's circadian rhythm, a nightlight mode setting, or variable-spectrum fluorescent effects on the cabin."
This modular design philosophy means airlines can invest in Hypergamut hardware today and unlock new capabilities tomorrow without replacing physical components. The initial software delivers specific functionality requested by the launch customer, but the roadmap includes features like advanced sleep-cycle management, dynamic color temperature adjustment, and even interactive lighting scenarios that respond to passenger preferences.
Illuminating the future of flight
The seven-year journey from patent filing to commercial deployment illustrates both the challenges and rewards of aerospace innovation. Hypergamut's success stems not just from technical achievement but from Collins' patient, strategic approach to product development, protecting intellectual property early, waiting for enabling technologies to mature, and building collaborative relationships across global teams and with forward-thinking customers.
For airlines evaluating cabin upgrades, Hypergamut represents more than just an advanced lighting system. It's a platform for continuous innovation, a tool for passenger wellness, and a differentiator in an increasingly competitive market. As the airline industry seeks ways to enhance passenger experience, technologies like Hypergamut offer a path forward, one wavelength at a time.
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