looks great. but how does it tell me which direction to flee?

good point... maybe when installing, one of the lights should be of another color or have a way separate so we can know that that one is the last one, next to the exit...

Wouldn't glow in the dark labeled arrows placed on the ground be less expensive and thus more practical. Unless this halo is visible from a distance through the smoke (which would greatly benefit firefighters).

If you look closely at the picture you will notice a line through the side of the circle that leads to the door.

Not a bad idea...

But I thought blue light was easiest to reflect and refract, and that more yellow light is more able to cut through things better. which is why blue-tinted headlights backdazzle more, and yellow is often used for fog-lights on cars...

If it works well, it doesn't sound like such a bad idea at all.

It seems like the first thing that came on my mind, as well as many others, was: How do we know which way to go?! I think if it could incorporate arrows, that'd be a great idea. Potentially, they could even incorporate a motion tracker so that firemen could tap into the system and see where people were in the building!

As KM stated, there is a line on one side of the halo showing the way out. It looks a little like the power button icon. When installed the line on the side of the halo would be pointed toward a pre-determined fire exit.

Why blue? Blue is really harsh on the eyes and would not be really helpful in the event of a fire. I'm not sure people would be able to see the blue against the red/orange of a fire.

as an engineer, let me say that these issues have probably been thought about and dealt with. the company has probably talked to fire safety consultants and firefighters, and thought about which light was easiest to see from a distance.

fyi, red light cant be seen as far, which is why you see helicopters with interior red lights, so people cant see them from far away. the thing does point to a direction. its probably not normal light that would be refracted from the smoke. if it was, then this is nothing more than a flashlight.

Sorry Shazz , your arguments are very dubious.
Red lights can be seen just as far as blue or green - consider marker lights on antennae towers - red. Clearance lights on ships and aircraft - red and green. Tail lights on cars - red.
Red is used for interior lighting on SOME helicopters and other craft because it does not affect your night vision.
Blue light does tend to scatter more in smoke - that is why smoke often appears blue. I wold think that yellow would be a more effective colour - as per fog lights as suggested earlier.

Adding on to what has already been said about knowing which direction to go, the original page for this system states that "the light also pulsates in the direction of the exit providing a secondary indication upon which direction to head."

Also, keep in mind that this is strictly a CONCEPT design. If you want to know why they made the light blue, it's not because of some engineering reason. It's because it looks pretty in the pictures. Remember that this system doesn't actually exist yet.