Essential Wall Dimmer Video Hands On, Soft as a Baby's Butt

Charlie White — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 10:17:30 EDT

When we first told you about the Essential Wall Dimmer from International Fashion Machines, we were wondering if its carpet-like conductive switch felt like a Brillo pad. The company sent us a demo unit, and we can now definitively tell you that it feels soft as silk, just like a fine piece of carpet. The $99 switch works well, and is extremely easy to turn on and off. We only noticed one slight downside to these pretty wall switches.

The only drawback we saw was the inability to have two or three of these switches together in a dual-gang or triple-gang arrangement, a common configuration around here. Some of us wished the conductive-fabric switching part was available in more than just that gray color, but the rest of us thought the whole concept was way cool. Big thumbs up! [International Fashion Machines]

Soft Touch Light Dimmers Turn High Tech Into High Touch

Charlie White — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 10:15:56 EDT

Here's a light switch that was formerly just a concept but has now received UL approval and is actually available: the Essential Wall Dimmer softens the whole light switch experience with its tufted textile sensor.

Just tap this little piece of carpet-looking stuff, and the lights turn on, off or dim. The material is an electronic textile made of conductive yarns, neoprene and acrylic that creator International Fashion Machines calls Plush Touch Sensing Technology.

This $99 dimmer is available in the 14 colors you see here, but it looks like those different hues are just on the part of the switch that mounts on the wall. We're hoping the actual switch feels more like plush carpet than a Brillo pad. [International Fashion Machines]

Gizmodo: international fashion machines

Essential Wall Dimmer Video Hands On, Soft as a Baby's Butt

Soft Touch Light Dimmers Turn High Tech Into High Touch