Most lights turn on one of two ways: Flip a switch or turn a knob. If you're fancy, you might control your lights with a capacitive sensor, or even a smartphone app. Or, you know, a Clapper.
The Heng Balance Lamp ($44, on Kickstarter) relies on none of these mechanisms. The lamp’s construction is simple. It consists of a wooden frame; a strip of embedded lights; and two wooden balls, each attached to a string. Lift the bottom ball into close proximity with the upper ball to activate the lights. Once there, magnets inside the wooden spheres keep them in place. The interaction echoes an old-school pull chain, but the final effect feels more enchanting---like there’s some unusual technology whirring below the surface.
There isn’t. Chinese designer Li Zan Wen built Heng out of wood and magnets, mostly. There are no sensors hiding in its bent frame, and it requires a human hand to operate. These days---especially the days following CES---that kind of clever simplicity is a rare but refreshing sight.