Light Show in Your Living Room
July 16, 2007 by Lauren
Okay, cheap frills time. Well, certainly not cheap frills; perhaps 'easily amused' or 'shallow gadget lovers' is more accurate. That said, I, myself, am a shallow gadget lover. That is, in addition to the latest and greatest equipment I can get, I want it to look sexy too. Even I probably wouldn't go for this, but there's a new coffee table in town; an LED coffee table, no less.
This snazzy piece of furniture, the Wave LED coffee table, is exactly what its name entails. You have a lovely piece of finished wood crafted into a table, topped with a plate of LED lights. Is it just a lit table? Heavens no! This table interacts with you, lighting up in the direction of motion.
Naturally, the LED lights only come on when movement is sensed. For example, if an unmoved cup of coffee is sitting on your table, nothing is going to happen. When you reach for it, however, the lights activate around your hand and the cup. During motionless downtime, the entire table twinkles lightly, similar to a star-sprinkled night sky; if only the table were black.
To get into specifics, the table uses 32 active and passive near-infrared sensors. This is what detects motion above the table, and also what changes the lighting. The closer an object, the brighter the lights. The lighting fades gradually and gracefully in respect to motion. This dazzling visual effect works night or day, in sunlight or a dim room.
Size-wise, the table is 62" x 31" x 18" (W x W x H). You have your choice of topping the wooden base with a thick sheet of glass or plastic. Underneath the tabletop is a shelf and strong, wooden lattice. Interestingly enough, the table is pretty friendly. It chews up less power than a single common household light bulb, at 35 watts when fully active.
Overall, this is something that is totally pointless but very aesthetically pleasing. Each table is made custom according to your specifications. However, because of this, you must allow up to six weeks for delivery. And the price? This baby starts at $2,800. I think it's great, but for me, it isn't $2,800-great. I'll let you be the judge of that.
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