Glowpull

Glowpull is a cabinet handle that lights up when touched, adding decoration, utility and a little bit of enchantment to kitchen cabinets and furniture. A sensor identifies when hands are touching the handle and triggers an LED light that softly illuminates the handle from inside. The Glowpull occasionally flickers on by itself, and a group of Glowpulls resembles a field of fireflies or flickering candles. Glowpull’s replaceable, rechargeable batteries last for years, while the LED will never fade or burn out under regular usage.

Glowpull is the first technology sketch for a product line that will also include:

Glowtile: Glowtile is a modular tile that lights up when you approach. A beautiful and magical addition to any surface. A sensor reacts when people are close by, making the tile illuminate gently.

Glowrug: Glowrug is a floor rug that lights up when walked on.

DOMESTIC DIGITAL JEWELRY

All materials have been used for functional and decorative purposes. A wooden beam can be a sculpture while it’s holding up the roof. We wanted to explore what it would mean to create digital devices that are primarily beautiful, rather than functional.

Purely decorative digital technology for the home has been increasingly popular as incorporating such technology becomes cost effective. Our design ideation process lead us to describe these types of products as domestic digital jewelry and to develop a range of product concepts that use digital technology to create a palette of options for interior design and decoration. Digital domestic jewelry is functional, but its primary role is to use digital technology to support a designer’s vision.

WHAT’S A TECHNOLOGY SKETCH?

As part of our product development process, ThingM creates Technology Sketches, which are examples of early stage conceptual approaches to how a product might work, rather than actual fully-functional systems. We believe in lightweight, agile, user-centered product development, which means that we focus on users’ experiences first and technological details later.

If you are interested in this technology sketch and would like to work with us to develop this technology further, please contact us.