Using the “Stop being sad and be awesome instead” model, iOn proves us that old light switches don’t need to be replaced from scratch. Instead, we could use a wireless capacitative control switch to make them better and improve their functionality.
If there hadn’t been a global financial crisis, I seriously doubt it that companies would focus that much on repurposing various devices, or on simply improving the functionality of the existing ones. That being said, iOn promises to bring magic into your home, by allowing you to interact in new ways with your electronic and electrical devices. It can be controlled via iOS or Android devices, and requires no physical contact in order to turn the light on or off. Best of all, it can even be hidden inside a wall, fact that could definitely make your visitors wonder how in the world you switched the lights on.
The manufacturer provided an extensive description of the iOn wireless capacitative control switch on Kickstarter:
“How does it work? Just like the screen on your smart phone, iOn is controlled by a capacitive proximity switching system. We just made the capacitive field bigger, increased its range and added some clever features to make it more stable.
iOn gives you cool new ways to control your environment, opens exciting design possibilities–and brings a little magic into your life. You can simply wave your hand near an iOn switch and the capacitive field reacts to turn iOn on or off.
Hold your hand inside the field to make your lights dimmer or brighter. Or use your smart phone. Imagine controlling all of your iOn switches from your iPhone or Android smart phone or even from your smart watch.”
In case it wasn’t obvious already, the developers of this little gadget are trying to get the money necessary for mass production by running a campaign on this crowdfunding platform. They’ve set a goal of $100K, and are willing to make small steps to get there, as iOn costs only $40 for early birds and $45 for the others.
You might also want to visit the company’s website, in case you’re interested in this device and want to learn more about it. Depending on how you look at it, iOn could be either an incredibly innovative device, or just a superfluous one.
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