Home automation interfaces can take their inspiration from anything, even from artworks that were created when automation meant yelling for the servant to bring you your robe. The Creation Wall Pad from Spanish company See and Touch Marbella S.A. takes its inspiration from Michelango’s work on the Sistine chapel.
The circular unit, which does not require the user to physically touch it but simply wave a hand in the appropriate gesture, is said to be simple as a light switch, but it also controls shades and music. It is making its debut at the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) show in Amsterdam on February 1-3.
The Creation Wall Pad can be operated by merely waving a hand near the switch, and it then electronically transmits the order to switch the light circuit. The light controls as well as all the push button commands can be relayed via IP to any control system. The unit uses Power over Ethernet (PoE), not requiring a separate power cord. Also, it forwards the IR signals of a Bang & Olufsen Beo4 remote control and fits into a standard wall box.
The company, perhaps correctly, says this design is the most radical change to the light switch since it was first created 120 years ago.
Speaking in terms of the combination of beauty and function, Marbella’s marketing literature also takes a unique approach, saying, “In our culture, there has always been the desire of living with beautiful and practical things around, which were easy to use. Since then, it has usually been a question of design, quality, materials and technology to be at the top of the capabilities.”