Interview about Luxblade Smart Lamp, winner of the A' Lighting Products and Fixtures Design Award 2025
The Luxblade project introduces a cylindrical lightbulb without traditional screw mechanisms, incorporating advanced internal components such as control chips, a battery, and LED panels. Designed to create a tangible interaction with light, it encourages direct user engagement. Both floor and desktop lamps feature three distinct light sources: main lights, foundation domes, and light rings. Touchpads on the blade allow users to adjust light direction and brightness with intuitive gestures.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsAbsolutely. For decades, lighting has been defined by the screw-in bulb — a standardized but outdated interface. The traditional socket-and-bulb setup isn’t just mechanically limiting, it also poses a safety risk; it's not exactly inviting to interact with, unless you're comfortable with the idea of touching exposed electrical points.But the journey toward Luxblade didn’t start with rethinking the socket — it started with rethinking our emotional relationship with light. We wanted to make light feel more tangible, almost like an object you could grab, hold, and move with intention — something far more interactive than a passive fixture in your room.That idea led us to ask: what if the light source itself became a clean, touchable, modular object? One that didn’t need to be twisted in with force or aligned with tiny metal threads. Instead, it should click or slide into place naturally — safe, seamless, and intuitive.The cylindrical form emerged from that line of thinking. Of course, the name Luxblade gives a hint: I’ve always been a diehard Star Wars fan, and yes — the lightsaber was a big inspiration. It’s iconic not just because of its shape, but because of how it embodies light as something personal, precise, and powerful. That’s the energy we wanted to bring into everyday lighting.By eliminating the screw mechanism, we freed ourselves to design a new kind of interface — one that's safer, more elegant, and emotionally engaging.In a way, Luxblade is lighting for a more civilized age — one where beauty, function, and imagination can finally shine together.
Absolutely. From the very beginning of designing Luxblade, we knew the main light source would be something special — not just static, but carried by the user. It’s meant to go with you, almost like holding a piece of light. But that naturally raised a practical question: what happens to the space you leave behind when you take the light with you?That’s where the idea of layered illumination came in. If you're moving through a dark room late at night, you don’t necessarily want the full intensity of a primary light, but you still want some subtle visibility — something calm and atmospheric. So, we designed the base of the lamp — the foundation dome — to gently glow after the main light is lifted. It’s a kind of visual placeholder, but also a poetic gesture, like leaving a trace of light in your path.The light ring adds another dimension — it softens the emotional tone of the space, functioning like ambient backlighting, almost like the quiet breath of the lamp when it’s idle.The inspiration for this multi-layered structure actually came from a mix of science fiction and real-world spatial design. One whimsical influence was the architecture of the Wookiee homes in Star Wars — elevated, warm, organic environments where light seems to live and breathe within the structure. That idea of space as a living companion really resonated with us.So ultimately, this multi-source approach isn’t just about lighting function — it’s about storytelling, comfort, and a small emotional ritual. Light becomes a layered experience: dynamic, emotional, and quietly intelligent.
Honestly, I think this is one of those cases where timing played a bigger role than brute force problem-solving. The original idea behind Luxblade actually dates back almost a decade. We had the vision — the form, the interaction, even the feeling of holding light like a lightsaber. But back then, the technology just wasn't there. The control chips were too bulky, the sensors weren’t responsive or refined enough, and smart home integration was far from seamless.So I wouldn’t say we "overcame" the technical challenges in a traditional sense. Rather, it was about patiently waiting — watching as the technology around us matured. Over the years, mass production of tiny components like capacitive touch sensors, compact logic boards, and reliable Bluetooth modules became much more accessible and affordable. At some point, we looked around and realized: hey, maybe the time is finally right.That’s when the Luxblade really came to life — not because the dream changed, but because the world finally caught up. So in a way, it was less about hacking the limitations and more about designing with the future in mind, then meeting it when it arrived.
Honestly, the core inspiration goes all the way back to childhood — to that unforgettable first moment seeing a lightsaber in Star Wars. There was something magical about the idea of holding light, about touching this beam of energy that wasn't just illumination — it was power, symbolism, elegance. As kids, we joked that a lightsaber was just a Jedi holding a glowing tube, maybe even a fluorescent lightbulb. That joke stuck with us for years.But behind the joke was a deep emotional hook — the dream of light becoming tangible, personal, almost alive. That idea stayed with us. And when we finally reached a point where the technology made it possible, we saw a real opportunity to bring that fantasy into everyday life.From an emotional design perspective, that’s what Luxblade is really about. It’s not just about illumination — it’s about interaction, about the relationship between the user and light. Being able to pick up the light, to walk with it, carry it like an artifact or a companion — that’s what makes it meaningful. It becomes more than a product. It becomes a gesture, a feeling, a ritual.So yes — it started as a joke, but it grew into something deeply romantic and symbolic. And in the end, that's the kind of emotional connection we always hope to design for.
Yes, of course. When we designed the Luxblade's interface, our goal was to make interacting with light feel as intuitive and effortless as possible — something that doesn’t require instruction.The touchpad works in a very straightforward way. You touch it once to turn the light on, and simply touch it again to turn it off. Then we introduced a circular motion on the same pad to adjust the direction of the light. Since the Luxblade is cylindrical and provides 360-degree lighting, it made perfect sense — you rotate your finger in a circle to rotate the beam around the cylinder. It just clicks in your mind, like turning a dial.Now, that leaves one more intuitive gesture: a swipe across the flat surface. But instead of a typical up-and-down swipe, this one works directionally — swipe toward the far end to increase brightness, and toward yourself to dim it down. It all happens on a single surface and feels like a direct, tactile conversation with the light.We weren’t trying to overload users with functions. We just wanted the lamp to feel like it responds to your instincts — touch, rotate, swipe. That’s it. Light should be simple, and with Luxblade, we designed it to behave like second nature.
Sure — the moment we decided that the main light source of the Luxblade would be detachable and portable, we realized something critical: when users take the light away, they might be leaving the room in total darkness. Or, perhaps even more likely, they might turn the light off while still holding it — and suddenly they’re in the dark with no sense of direction. That’s when the idea of a guiding light became essential.We believe good design should always provide feedback. When you interact with a product — especially one involving light — it should respond clearly and intuitively. So, when the main light is removed, the base softly illuminates to signal both its presence and the place where the light belongs. It’s like a quiet gesture from the product saying, “This is the way back.”As for the charging system, we chose a magnetic docking solution — something people today might call “Mag-Safe,” though we think of it simply as magnetic guidance. This technology has become quite mature and reliable. But more importantly, it gives users a physical cue when placing the light back. There’s no need for a screw or socket; the magnetic pull naturally aligns the device into place. Again, it’s all about feedback — a gentle snap that confirms: “Yes, you did it right.”So in both the guiding light and the docking mechanism, we focused on reducing friction in user interaction. The system doesn't just charge — it communicates.
Well, for this project, the Savannah and Beijing connection is actually very personal — because I was in both places during different stages of the design process. Of course, we had team members in both cities as well, but in many ways, the cross-cultural influence came from living and designing in both environments myself.In Savannah, I was deeply immersed in the atmosphere — a slower pace, a strong sense of storytelling, and a romanticized view of objects and experiences. That’s where the core inspiration — this idea of holding light — really started to feel magical. In the U.S., and especially in places like Savannah, there’s a cultural familiarity with Star Wars. The lightsaber is not just a sci-fi weapon — it's a cultural symbol, almost poetic. People connect with the idea of light as something personal, emotional, even heroic.Then, back in Beijing, the conversation shifts. The design culture is fast, responsive, and heavily focused on smart home integration. There’s a real appetite for innovation, connectivity, and practicality — things like Wi-Fi control, gesture recognition, and smart charging aren't just features; they're expectations.So Luxblade became a fusion of both worlds — the emotional storytelling and sci-fi romance from Savannah, and the technological momentum and precision of Beijing. I like to think of it as a cultural blender. And in many ways, that fusion reflects how we live today — emotionally connected, technologically enabled. That mix has influenced not just this lamp, but much of my work.
Right — so, as I mentioned earlier, the inspiration for the foundation dome comes from the wooden ceiling structures in the Wookiee’s homeworld — that kind of architectural softness and sense of shelter. But instead of choosing wood, we decided to go with metal, specifically anodized aluminum. Why? Because we wanted something that feels like a stable home base — grounded, reliable, and clean — both literally and metaphorically.Aluminum gives us that. It’s lightweight but solid, easy to clean, and naturally elegant. Think about a finely crafted timepiece — metal always carries a kind of allure, a timeless attraction. That material quality adds a certain weight and seriousness to the base, grounding the lamp as a physical object.Now, in contrast, the main light unit is made from white acrylic — because acrylic allows us to diffuse light evenly in 360 degrees. The goal was to create a beam of light you can actually hold. It’s not just a shell — it’s part of the experience. The light becomes tangible.So when you put the two together — the metal dome below and the glowing acrylic cylinder above — it creates a balance. The base provides soft ambient lighting and architectural support, while the main cylinder becomes this emotional, almost sci-fi-like centerpiece. Metaphorically, it's like energy rising from the earth into a beam you can grab — a romantic rebirth of form and function. The combination reflects our goal: to design something beautiful, grounded, and quietly powerful.
Yes — that’s a really interesting question, because while we love the final form of the Luxblade, we also believe it represents a starting point for something bigger. This project gave us a glimpse into what lighting could be if we reimagined the very foundation — how we interact with light not just digitally, but physically.Traditionally, most lighting products — even so-called smart bulbs — still rely on the same old screw-based sockets. That open, exposed interface comes with a set of risks. It’s unsafe around children, it's fragile, and it's definitely not waterproof. So with Luxblade, we asked: what if we could eliminate that outdated socket entirely?The magnetic charging base we developed shows one potential answer. It’s sealed, intuitive, and safe. If the magnets and charging systems become strong and efficient enough, there’s no reason a light source has to conform to the shape of a bulb anymore. Light could take on any form — sculptural, minimal, soft, modular — and still connect powerfully and safely via a magnetic, sealed interface.That changes everything. It opens the door to lighting designs that are safer, more expressive, and more adaptive to our environments. And it makes light interaction something you feel, not just something you switch on. We think that shift — toward touchable, holdable, form-independent light — is going to define the next generation of smart lighting.
First of all, it was truly an honor to have Luxblade recognized by the A’ Design Award. This idea actually began over a decade ago, but only recently has the technology — and perhaps the cultural timing — aligned to make it feel real and achievable.I believe what resonated most with the jury was the core concept: turning something as intangible as light into a tangible, interactive experience. We’re not just designing a lamp — we’re designing a moment where someone holds light in their hand. That poetic transition — from intangible to tactile — touches a very human, emotional nerve. It's more than just utility; it’s about meaning.Of course, Star Wars played a part in shaping that dream, but it also draws on deeper, more philosophical roots. I remember being inspired by an old hard drive design that had this beautiful organic blade form. There was a description saying it felt like "capturing the soul of technology." That stuck with me — the idea of distilling something powerful, almost untouchable, into a form you can actually hold. Luxblade carries that same spirit.And I think the jury saw that. Design, even when rooted in engineering and standards, is still ultimately a human practice. It’s about emotion, culture, and story. The romance of holding light, the merging of sci-fi and daily life, the fusion of cultural aesthetics — these are all parts of the design that speak beyond logic.At the end of the day, cool ideas resonate with people who feel deeply. And I think the Luxblade struck that emotional chord with the jury — not just as a product, but as a cultural and design gesture.
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