Some LED light bulbs offer a wide spectrum of hues and light levels, most of which are controlled by an app. The Lucis (pronounced “LOOsiss”) takes a simpler approach: four integrated touch sensors allow the user to change the lamp’s color and brightness without having to reach for a smart phone. Even better, the Lucis runs on a rechargeable battery, letting its owner take the light wherever it’s needed.
The Lucis is more of an ambiance light, producing up to 250 Lumens at full brightness. That’s about the same light output as a 20 watt incandescent bulb - perhaps a bit dim for reading, but adequate for setting a mood or lighting an evening picnic. It produces maximum light with a mere 3.3 watts of electricity, derived from an 8000 mAh Li-ion battery. With a 4.5 hour charge, the Lucis can provide up to eighty hours of light on a dim setting, or eight hours at full brightness. Its efficacy is 76 Lumens per watt (lm/W) - pretty typical for an LED light bulb.
Lucis can be turned on by shaking it or by touching the “brighten” sensor for four seconds. Brightness is controlled with the “brighten” and “dim” sensors, and the two color adjustment sensors cycle through 16 million colors. No, you don’t have to tap it 16 million times to choose a specific color. The changes in hue are gradual, so holding the sensor for a few seconds will do the trick. (It takes about 20 seconds to cycle through all the colors.) The interface reminds me of an iPod Shuffle - up/down volume controls, forward/backward to skip tracks, and a single play/pause button. Hardcore geeks may scoff at the simplistic design, but technophobes will appreciate not needing a technician to set it up.
In addition to selecting colors and brightness manually, a user can choose any one of three pre-programmed settings by touching multiple sensors at once:
I asked Lardy van der Pal, co-founder of Lucis Lamp, whether they had considered offering an optional app for users who want to create custom light settings. He said that was a possibility for Lucis 2.0.
Lucis measures 110 mm (4.33”) in every dimension. It can sit on any relatively flat surface, or it can be mounted to an optional tripod. Its case is splash-proof and washable.
Here’s an interview with Lardy van der Pal and Simon Coop, co-founders of Lucis:
The company’s crowdfunding campaign met its $15,000 goal in just nine days. Lucis should go into production in December 2015 and be available for delivery in February 2016.
Images and video courtesy of Lucis