Luminous running trail utilises IoT tech, wins awards

A smart, interactive running trail in Suzhou Industrial Park, China, has netted two prestigious design awards.

The Jinji Lake Luminous Trail was awarded the Gold Award in the Innovative Lighting Design category at the international 2025 MUSE Design Awards — one of only two recipients to be honoured in the category this year.

The Trail also received the Award of Excellence in the Control Innovation category at the IES Illumination Awards in August of the same year. The IES Illumination Awards are presented annually by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES), an organisation with over a century of history.

A key urban renewal initiative for the Suzhou Industrial Park in 2024, the project involved upgrading the lighting systems of the Jinshuiwan Trestle Bridge and the lakeside walkways.

By integrating technologies such as smart running poles and Bluetooth sensors, two distinctive trails were created: a 15 km smart running trail and a 3.5 km light-chasing interactive trail. The former combines smart planning and AI cameras to enable light interaction and cultural tours, while the latter utilises DMX512 and Bluetooth dual-mode control, allowing users to select lighting effects via a mobile app for an immersive and interactive experience.

Nuvoton powers interactive lights and smart sensors

Within the trail’s overall smart system, the core control unit is powered by the NUC1311 series microcontroller from electronics company Nuvoton.

The NUC1311’s 5 V operating voltage enhances its stability and high noise immunity in harsh outdoor conditions. The microcontroller also supports the Bosch-licensed CANbus IP, supporting reliability and industrial-grade communication security during high-speed data transmission. These features enable the NUC1311 to provide real-time, stable smart lighting control for the Jinji Lake Trail’s interactive lighting systems and smart sensing devices, even in the humid and high-interference environment of the lakeside.

“Our years of partnership with Nuvoton have given us a deep appreciation for the high stability of their products, their comprehensive hardware and software ecosystem, and their excellent real-time service,” said a representative from Suzhou Tianping Advanced Digital Technologies, co-designer of the project with Huanguzhidao (HG) Lighting Technology Co.

“These advantages are key reasons why we continue to choose Nuvoton products for our large-scale projects. We look forward to deepening our collaboration with Nuvoton in more areas in the future.”

As well as recognising the successful integration of technology and art, the international awards received by the Jinji Lake Luminous Trail have boosted the profile of Nuvoton’s MCUs in the fields of smart cities, smart lighting and interactive design.

The company intends to continue providing high-quality MCU solutions to help more partners create innovative applications and drive the development of smart cities to new heights.

Image caption: Jinji Lake Luminous Trail. Image courtesy of Nuvoton.