If you've ever attended a live music concert in Japan, particularly idol concerts, then you've probably seen people waving glowsticks. And if you've ever seen wotagei glowstick dancers at underground idol events or anisong DJ events, then you've definitely seen them in action.

OrangeMoon | © PIXTA

Ruifan's KING BLADE LED glowsticks have been the de facto leader in the Japanese battery-powered glowstick market since they first appeared in 2012. Sturdy, bright, and capable of displaying a whole rainbow of colors, the KING BLADE is ubiquitous.

In an effort to create added value in the live performance experience, Ruifan has continued to develop their KING BLADE products, implementing such features as color pattern programming. They've also already experimented with radio control, as demonstrated in their RAVE system (see video below).

This system requires a transmitter operated by the event organizers which sends signals to concert-goers' glowsticks to change their colors in specific patterns. But now, many Japanese people are stuck at home due to the novel coronavirus pandemic and the number of live events has drastically decreased. To adapt, musicians and performing artists have taken the show online. Fans can still light up their KING BLADE at home and pretend they're at a live event, but the radio-controlled system is useless. This is why Ruifan has come up with a new solution.

KING BLADE FUSION

The KING BLADE FUSION uses Bluetooth which not only allows you to wirelessly program your glowstick's color through a custom smartphone app, but also to transform your glowstick into what they describe in their press release as an "interactive communication tool."

Instead of transmitting a radio signal within the same venue to fans' glowsticks, the event organizers go through fans' computers which then communicate with the glowsticks to achieve the same effect. In other words, a new technological solution has re-established the link and now allows organizers to remotely control the colors and patterns of the KING BLADE owned by fans, no matter where in the world they are viewing the event.

Ruifan plans to begin taking OEM orders for the KING BLADE FUSION from October 2020.

For more information on the specific features, visit the official product page here.


By - Ben K.