Homebuilders usually neglect to provide lighting for smaller spaces like shallow closets and pantries, not because they don’t think it’s not necessary but because they’re trying to save a buck or two. The Luminook system illuminates those spaces with a smart LED lighting strip that turns on the instant you open the door and off when you close it.
In a demonstration off the show floor, Luminook’s inventor Chris Stubbs showed me how the system works. Since most closets don’t have power outlets, the light controller operates on a removeable lithium-ion battery. You attach a thin strip of dimmable and color temperature-tunable white LED lights around the inside frame of the opening, and the controller turns the lights on and off using a trio of sensors that analyze the position of the door and the ambient light conditions.
The system is designed specifically for shallower closets—a hall coat closet, a broom closet, or a pantry—versus walk-in closets that typically do have an overhead light installed. If the closet has an E27 light socket inside it, Luminook offers a USB charger that will screw into it to trickle-charge the battery pack, or you can use any USB AC adapter for the same purpose. You can also buy extra battery packs, so you’ll always have a charged battery on hand.
The light strips and the controller attach to the wall with 3M adhesive strips, and Stubbs said they should uninstall quickly an cleanly, leaving no marks behind. A single-door kit with one light controller, battery pack, 10-foot LED strip, charging cord, and mounting clips will cost $59.99 when the system goes on sale later this year. A double-door kit with a secondary door sensor will cost $69.99. The socket adapter kit is priced at $29.99 and extra batteries cost $19.99 each.
This is one of the more clever ideas that I saw at CES this year, and I’m looking forward to reviewing it when it’s available. Luminook is running a Kickstarter campaign to help bring it to market.
Author: Michael Brown, Executive Editor
Michael is TechHive's lead editor, with 30+ years of experience covering the tech industry, focusing on the smart home, home audio, and home theater. He built his own smart home in 2007 and used it as a real-world test lab for product reviews. Following a relocation to the Pacific Northwest, he is now converting his new home, an 1890 Victorian bungalow, into a modern smart home.