Science-fiction author and futurist Arthur C. Clarke once observed that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. That certainly sums up the new Levia lamp, created by Italian designed studio Idea3Di. At first glance, the stylish lamp — which is mounted on a base made of either Carrara or Black Marquina marble — simply looks like an attractive piece of quasi-industrial chic design. Look closer, however, and the lamp’s oversized LED filament levitates below the lamp stem, creating an otherworldly effect that’s sure to wow visitors.
“Levia is a very cool desk lamp that works via electromagnetic induction with a magnetic levitation system,” Ferdinando Petrella, co-founder of Idea3Di, told Digital Trends. “It was born from the combination of advanced technology, energy efficiency, and innovative design. You can use the touch-sensitive button on the base to switch off the LED filaments, and the light bulb will stay in levitation even if the light’s out. To turn it on, you just bring the bulb closer to the upper part of the lamp. The LED filaments will then switch on and the bulb will float.”
The lamp just landed on (well, floated onto) Kickstarter, giving anyone who wants to get their hands on it the opportunity to do so. This isn’t the first time we’ve covered a levitating lamp on a crowdfunding platform here on Digital Trends. Nonetheless, this is definitely one of the more stylish approaches that we’ve seen.
“We’ve not got a particular targeted audience with Levia because, as with all our products, it’s addressed to a very wide-ranging audience,” Damiano Iannini, the design studio’s other co-founder, told us. “Design lovers are our first followers, of course, as are technology lovers. However, everyone who likes their products to be useful and functional, as well as amazing, will find what they want in Levia.”
As ever, we offer our usual warnings about the potential risks inherent in crowdfunding campaigns. This is actually Idea3Di’s third Kickstarter project; previous ones including the Geizeer eco-friendly ice cooling system and Enimine, a “bouncing landmine” for Airsoft play. While both of those products are very different from Levia, it does at least demonstrate that the company has experience shipping crowdfunded projects. Still, it’s necessary to remind readers that crowdfunding projects can experience a host of problems — from not shipping on time to, unfortunately, sometimes not shipping at all.
That said, if you’re aware of these risks and still want to get involved, head over to Levia’s Kickstarter project page. Prices start at 99 euros ($112) for the white lamp, while the black version starts at 114 euros ($130). Shipping is planned to take place in July.
