h a l f b a k e r yQuis custodiet the custard?
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Instead of putting light switches/dials on the wall, why not make them floor tiles, so they're out of sight? The switch-tile is against the wall, so the chances of turning the light off accidentally are reduced. They would have some identifying marking above them (a window, a wall corner, a doorframe,
a picture/painting, etc.) to be recognizable.
If your home has hardwood floors, the board next to the wall is the switch. For carpeted areas, the plain tile is placed under the carpet, also with something to identify it.
In place of the dimmer switch dials, the tile/board is pressure sensitive, so that the harder you step on it, the brighter the light gets. The light is turned off by stepping on one of the corners, which have a spring-loaded ratchet mechanism (like a foot-operated parking brake on some cars, I think).
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How would you see the switch on the floor of a dark room? |
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[waugsqueke] You step on the switch and bang into the wall simultaneously. The next thing you know, you are lying on your back in a brilliantly lit room. With groceries spilled around you. |
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You can't see wall switches in the dark either -- you just know where they are. Since you'd have no tactile clues (would you?) with a floor-switch, though, it might be good to have a luminous frame or something. |
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I have seen extension cords that plug into lamps (and christmas trees) that have the step-on, step-off, idea built in. So your idea is half-baked. Motion-sensor-lights are probably the best idea here (and have been around for a long time). |
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The problem with motion-sensor lights (at least the ones I've had to deal with) is that if you sit down to read or watch TV or something that doesn't require much movement, the lights turn off after a little while. This is a pretty big problem if you're trying to read, and flailing around every now and then to keep the lights on doesn't seem very relaxing to me. |
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I haven't seen those step-on extension cords either, and I didn't find anything about them during my search for this idea. (Those would make the idea partly baked, not half-baked. That's reserved for ideas that are already here on the HB.) |
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Think about the new dance craze: SKIP TO MY LOO.
A light switch embedded in the lavatory floor. When it's dark and you have to 'go' in a hurry. Picture in your mind playing musical thrones to the sound of running water. |
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//The problem with motion-sensor lights (at least the ones I've had to deal with) is that if you sit down to read or watch TV or something that doesn't require much movement, the lights turn off after a little while.// |
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I recall in Dilbert a meeting room had such lights; Wally's job was to walk around the room waving his arms to keep the lights on. |
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Motion sensors made for residential uses generally have 3 settings: off, motion, and on. If you set it on motion all the time, you'll never have to deal with turning it on or off. However, if you're like Bert and have motion issues, there is another way to use them. Just switch it on when you are using it and to motion when you leave the room. Then when you enter the room with your hands full of groceries, it comes on. You can then set down your groceries and switch it to on just like a normal light switch. |
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However, just because there's another way to do things doesn't make yours less of a usefull idea. + |
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Great idea. i don't believe this should have its seperate category post, but why not make the whole floor pressure sensitive. you calibrate it to the weight of the furniture, the animals, the twelve cases of beer etc, and when more weight is put on it, the light comes on. obviously you would have to give some room for error, so say if the room had 1200 lbs worth of furniture in it, then the light would come on when 1250 lbs was in the room.... and would return to off when it was down to 1225 lbs (in case you had to buy more beer, and accidentally left it on the couch.) and there would be an easy master calibration set up mounted outside, so when you added an accessory waying more than 25 lbs you walked outside (obviously can't calibrate the floor if your standing on it) and pressed a calibrate button for that room. |
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I am an industrial designer and
believe that the things we take for
granted (light swithes) may play an
interesting role in our lives. I've
embraced small objects of the
home, I think we need better light
switches, ones that communicate
with us through our personal style,
the room it's in, the source of
light, etc. We need lights that are
fun. I am starting a project to
redesign light switches, and don't
worry, you'll be putting them back
on your walls, sensor free, in no
time! |
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I like this. A switch could be right on the floor near a baseboard if it was in a soft sealed vinyl that you step on. If the switch was illuminated, finding it in the dark would not be a problem. Sealing it would protect it from water and floor cleaning products. |
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hi bert6322.
i need your help. have you developed this pressure switch? i need it for an application. if you have any info , pls forward to me. fradnoak@blueyonder.co.uk thanks |
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