I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who like the idea of home automation.
For example, being able to turn off the light upstairs without having to leave the living room or den is certainly very convenient, as is controlling how bright the light in your room is while sitting on the couch. However,modern home automation, at least in terms of most systems, is typically characterized by expensive hardware and ineffective implementation.
Fortunately, a new light bulb that makes automating the lights in your home a relatively simple process has turned up on the crowd-sourced funding website Indiegogo. The bulb is dubbed the Lumen Bluetooth LED, which uses the wireless technology to pair a smartphone and bulb – allowing the handset to control whether a light is on or off, as well as adjust the color and brightness.
The Lumen features dimmable red, blue, green, and white LEDs that allow the creation of any color light in the spectrum. The app is available for iOS devices and the bulb itself works with a standard light bulb socket. The app offers an easy way to name multiple bulbs and control their color and brightness.
It also features multiple modes, such as Party which uses the color changing properties of the Lumen to alter light colors to match a particular song. Sleep Mode simulates moonlight to help people slumber, while Wake starts with dim light and gradually brightens to maximum intensity over 5-15 minutes.
The project is seeking $110,000 and currently has a little more than $1100 pledged. The company hopes to ship the bulbs in April of 2013. Pricing for early bird purchases for a single bulb is $49, while a pack of two bulbs costst $99, 10 for $450, 25 for $1,000 and a pack of 100 for $3,500.
