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Comment by Malic | Hacker News Reader

I've noticed that hotel hallways in Norway worked the same way. While on a tour, I poked my head out of my room quite early to begin the day - it was pitch black but only for a moment. My motion clearly set off the detectors and the hallway fully lit up.

I kinda wish this was the norm in other countries for apartment buildings, hotels, etc.

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The Novotel North Cambridge hotel in the UK had lights that come on when you approach in all guest corridors, as well as room lights that require a room-key-size card to be inserted into the main light switch (so they all switch off if you leave the room, along with HVAC going into away mode).

I've also seen a number of grocery stores adopt display lighting that turns on only when presence is detected.

The grocery store thing is getting more common in the US - a friend said it makes her want to dance like a Disney princess :)

The credit card sized thing is common in many hotels. Fortunately an expired train ticket is the same size, and usually do the trick.

I've been in apartment buildings state side that kinda have this, but there was always some light. Enough to see the exit at least. I think I'd be scared shitless if it was pitch black because of motion detector failure.

Many older stairwells in Europe (Italy/Spain/Portugal) are like this.

They're pitch dark, but you turn on the first switch which gives you enough light to reach the landing (and they are timed), and then you have to turn on another light, and so on. But if you don't get there quickly enough, it'll be pitch dark.

The safe default in such a failure ought to be an ‘on’ state

MY first guess is that US has regulations banning complete darkness.

This would never work in the USA, we need to see the fiends in the hallway sitting in the dark.

The frozen foods aisles at my local grocery store does this.

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