TThe North Carolina State University James B. Hunt Jr. Library bookBot Lighting Replacement received an Award of Merit in the Control Innovation category of the 2026 Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) Illumination Awards.   

 The IES Illumination Awards recognize professionalism, ingenuity, and originality in lighting design based on each entry's individual merit. Entries are evaluated on how well the lighting design meets the program criteria rather than in direct competition with other projects.  

 Illuminating Automation in Motion   

NC State’s James B. Hunt Jr. Library features an automated storage and retrieval system known as the “bookBot.” Originally designed to operate in darkness with spotlights mounted to the robot crane arms, the system became something library patrons wanted to watch in motion. In response, fluorescent maintenance lights began operating nearly 24 hours a day.   

Over time, those lights dimmed and failed. With no practical means to access the fluorescent tubes for replacement, NC State undertook a complete system relighting and saw an opportunity to improve the visitor experience in the process.  

Designing Around the bookBot  

The automated storage environment placed significant constraints on the lighting design. Its aisles measure 120 feet long, four feet wide, and 50 feet tall, with a 480-volt power rail running down the middle. No lift could traverse the aisles; equipment could not be mounted to the racking system, and the floor had to remain clear for robot travel.  

Scaffolding provided access for installation. With maintenance access extremely limited across the 50-foot-tall aisles, Pivotal specified luminaires beyond typical design requirements and placed drivers up to 200 feet away for easier maintenance. 

Control Innovation as a Visitor Experience  

Pivotal designed the controls to reduce unnecessary operating time while making the bookBot’s movement part of the lighting experience.  

The control system cycles two task-tuned zones of general illumination and activates a show sequence as the robots move. Red tape lights added to the robot crane ladders shine outward across the book bins whenever a robot travels through the aisles, highlighting the movement that first captured visitors’ attention.  

The resulting system addresses the maintenance and access constraints that prompted the relighting while giving visitors a new way to experience the bookBot in motion. 

Learn more about NCSU’s Library’s bookBot