This story is part of our continuing coverage of CES 2020, including tech and gadgets from the showroom floor.
With the multitude of smart lighting options out there, yet another smart light at CES 2020 wouldn’t typically be big news. And at first glance, the Luminook doesn’t appear to be anything special, since its essentially just another light strip. But the company is aiming to bring light to one of the darkest spots of your house — the closet.
“As a whole, the lighting industry does not provide an effective solution to illuminate enclosed spaces such as closets and pantries properly,” Luminook founder and CEO Chris Stubbs said.
The Luminook is designed to be mounted around the doorframe inside your closet, tucked behind the door trim, and requires no tools to install. When it detects that the door is open, the light strip illuminates and stays on until the door is closed again. The light strip is compatible with all door sizes up to 72-inches wide, according to the company.
Luminook says this is a better solution than traditional ceiling lighting found in most closets, as it provides shadow-free illumination. It’s not badly priced either. While not immediately available, Luminook is currently available for pre-order on Kickstarter for $59 with an estimated ship date in October. As always, we offer words of caution before backing any crowdfunding project.
Users can control the color temperature of the white light produced by the light strip, as well as set it to automatically adjust for conditions such as time of day or ambient light already present in the room, the latter thanks to an ambient light sensor that is included in the Luminook’s control pack. There is even a do-not-disturb mode that prevents the light strip from illuminating when you don’t want to disturb others in the room.
No cords are necessary, as the Luminook runs on a rechargeable battery pack. The company claims that with average use, users should expect about a month of battery life, but with an optional socket adapter, you’ll also be able to power the Luminook using your existing closet light socket.
Along with the Luminook, the company also plans to offer the Luminook+, which features brighter LEDs and what it calls “more color-accurate lighting.” The company did not disclose pricing.
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