Nanoleaf’s triangular panels offer a new, modular take on lighting

By Jenny McGrath August 11, 2016

If you can say one thing about Toronto-based Nanoleaf, it’s that its light bulbs don’t look boring. From the dimmable Bloom to the smart Ivy, the folded-circuitboard bulbs are eye-catching. The same can be said for the company’s newest product, the Aurora, debuting at CES 2016.

The Aurora isn’t something you’ll stick under a lamp shade. In fact, it moves home lighting onto the wall (though you could also put them on the ceiling or a table, too). It’s a series of triangle-shaped LED panels that fit together in various shapes. The Wi-Fi-enabled color-changing panels are also meant to work with HomeKit. That means you can ask Siri to set one of your predetermined scenes, such as for movie night.

“The Aurora is set to redefine the category and eliminate the compromise between choosing ambient light or productive light,” Nanoleaf’s CEO, Gimmy Chu, said in a press release.

The product is now available for preorder for $185 through August 12 and will cost $200 after.

If talking to your lights isn’t your thing, maybe you need a clicker. Awox’s SmartPebble is a two-piece kit, the “pebble” and a wall plate, also on display at CES 2016. It’s sort of like a remote for your lights that you can stick on the wall or carry between rooms. You click bulbs on and off, turn the device to brighten them, or shake it to turn on colors. Double clicking the round, battery-powered object switches to another set of lights. The remote connects to Awox’s special smart bulbs via Bluetooth and can control up to eight of them, separated into two groups.

Also back at CES and contributing to the smart lighting explosion is Sengled, which has a new product, Voice, that has microphones to help it double as a security voice. It can detect glass breaking, for example.

Check back throughout the week for more smart-home products for lighting and beyond.

Updated 8/11/2016: Nanoleaf Aurora is now available for preorder.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Jenny McGrath is a senior writer at Digital Trends covering the intersection of tech and the arts and the environment. Before…

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