Bombardier today unveiled circadian rhythm-based cabin lighting technology that can help combat the effects of jet lag on long-distance flights in its 7,700-nm Global 7500. Dubbed Soleil (French for "sun"), the dynamic lighting system’s LED development was “driven by the needs of truly worldwide aircraft that are going to be crossing time zones and connecting airports and city pairs that no other aircraft can,” said Bombardier Business Aircraft manager of industrial design Tim Fagan.
Incorporating dynamic daylight simulation, Soleil uses specific combinations of red and blue light wavelengths that studies have shown stimulate or suppress melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate sleep. Fully integrated with both the Global 7500’s flight management system and Lufthansa Technik nice Touch cabin management system, Soleil can automatically adjust the cabin lights to help align passengers’ circadian rhythms to maximize efficiency en route or adjust to the time zone of their destination.
Each of the Global 7500’s four cabin zones can be controlled individually to have its own lighting regime during the flight. According to Bombardier, Soleil has the highest-definition color rendering index of any current cabin lighting system. A cabin mockup with Soleil is on display this week at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills.