Bringing smiles

to a children’s hospital

The Kinderstad is like a small, fun city for kids. It features a small football pitch, a race car, a radio studio, a computer and TV corner, and a place to spot aeroplanes. Philips was brought in to add some exciting light to the Kinderstad.

To ease the transition from the clinical environment to the fun world of Kinderstad, a light tunnel with special colourful illumination was designed. Children love walking through the tunnel on their way into Kinderstad. It tunnel is seven metres long, and wide enough for a bed to pass through. This meant that the light had to be bright enough to be seen if the child was lying down, but not so intense as to cause problems for children with epilepsy.

After various trial installations, VidiWall DPIX 600 was chosen as a light source. This is net of evenly distributed RGB LED pixels makes it possible to display enjoyable hospital lighting effects, and computer controlled images. For the best light effects, 1,722 LED pixels were placed 15 centimetres apart behind a translucent white plastic wall, giving the saturated colors a beautifully diffuse appearance. With the VidiWall video processor, the tunnel is transformed to a green-red rainbow, but raindrops or swaying grass can also be displayed.

The newly lit tunnel enchants and excites children, helping to distract them from the clinical environment. The beautiful changing colours tend to have a calming effect upon mentally disabled patients, particularly if they are rolled through on a bed or in a wheelchair.