Cableless light by Nimbus: The new mobility

"In a few years' time there will be battery-powered luminaires in many offices and apartments, and they will be just as commonplace as smartphones, laptops and tablets are today," reflects Dietrich F. Brennenstuhl. As only company in the sector the Stuttgart-based Nimbus Group has already developed several ranges of high-performance, cableless luminaires. Its statement: "The future is cableless!"

The idea of cableless, battery-powered and thus mobile luminaires has driven Nimbus boss Dietrich F. Brennenstuhl for a number of years now. For example, whenever he needed light on his terrace on a summer evening. Or when he wanted to move a floor-standing lamp in his living room to exactly where he wanted it – and then had to move it back again so nobody tripped over the cable. For a long time now, he has been asking himself whether there might not be a better solution to such problems.

It took a tree house to answer this question. Dietrich F. Brennenstuhl was building it with his children and with the aid of some battery power tools borrowed from a friend. When the structure was finished, the self-confessed "DIY enthusiast" was convinced of the idea of cableless light.

For the first time ever, people have the choice of placing their light sources where they like it

The step towards battery-powered luminaires was overdue: Domestic telephones attached to cables have already become a rarity and will soon disappear. Mobile phones accompany their user around the clock. In a few years "filling up" electric cars will become just as routine as charging a mobile phone.

The new mobility with the cableless luminaires by Nimbus Group is possible thanks to their high-performance batteries: They only have to be recharged at the socket every 100 hours. That means, they can be taken anywhere without having to worry about bothersome cables.

The evolution of mobile luminaires started with Roxxane Fly CL– a folding luminaire, smaller than a paperback book and cableless. It is a battery-powered lighting tool that says to the user: put me next to you wherever you are! Pack me in your flight case, in your laptop bag.

Cableless floor-standing and table luminaires like the Roxxane Leggera CL can be moved effortlessly from one desk to another, from the office to the conference room, from the TV armchair to the balcony, from the sofa to a favourite spot by the window, and from there to the terrace, to the garden and, if necessary, to the tree house. The luminaires have a distinctive handle, which says to the user: take hold of me, I'm strong, nothing can go wrong. Charging the luminaires is effortlessly easy: A small charging puck clicks onto the base of the luminaire magnetically and is disconnected again by a slight tap with the tip of the foot.

The luminaires also act as mobile power sources sharing their energy with their mobile siblings: positioned in a holder on the column of the luminaire smartphones can draw power from the base of the luminaire through a cable.

The bend – a characteristic design idiom

Other cableless Nimbus luminaires offer similar added value. The Winglet CL for example, a two-dimensional wall luminaire with a surprising bend like an inviting wave of the hand. Like all Nimbus luminaires they provide energy-saving light from light-emitting diodes and, when dimmed down low for example, make a flight of stairs look as if there were tea lights on the steps. But in truth, the Winglets are high-tech luminaires with gesture sensors and wireless group control. However, they can be installed in just a few minutes, whereby self-adhesive Powerstrips are usually all it takes. Screws are rarely needed. And exposed cables or cable outlets on the ceiling or walls are never necessary. For the first time ever, people are free to choose where they place the lighting in their home.

The Gravity CL is now the fourth cableless, battery-powered luminaire in the Stuttgart-based enterprise's portfolio. The suspended luminaire seems to hover in space on an elegant wire. "It's bound to take a while until people understand that the gossamer-thin wire DOES NOT carry current and that its sole purpose is to suspend the luminaire," chuckles inventor and company founder Dietrich F. Brennenstuhl, who, together with the designer Rupert Kopp, developed the Gravity to the point of marketability.

It solves a specific problem: it enables the illumination of dining tables, work surfaces or counters without depending on specific power outlets – the discreet suspended luminaire allows much more freedom in designing lighting in rented apartments and existing buildings, for example.

The most noticeable element is the fold along the light surface, a characteristic design feature with an elemental function: it enables two-sided light emission through a diffuser made of high-quality acrylic glass.