Cloud brings thunder and lightning inside your home

Cloud, by New Zealand-based designer Richard Clarkson, is an interactive lamp designed to mimic a thundercloud. It brings the outside inside, providing an audiovisual show that looks and sounds like thunder and lightning ... but thankfully rain isn't included in the package.

Powered by an Arduino microcontroller, Cloud is able to react to motion by automatically adjusting the color and brightness of lighting. There are also alternate modes for those who need a break from having a thundercloud in their home. For instance, Cloud can be turned into a nightlight or used to stream music via any Bluetooth-compatible device.

The Cloud itself is made hypoallergenic fiberfill that is felted to a sponge casing to form a frame. The frame holds within it the lighting system and speakers used to make Cloud look and sound like a real thundercloud ... just one that's hanging from your ceiling rather than growing ominously outside your window.

Each Cloud is approximately 28 x 14 x 13 inches (71 x 36 x 33 cm), but these measurements vary as each cloud is handmade and therefore unique.

Cloud costs US$3,360 for the smart version, which includes a wireless remote control unit, color-changing lights, 2.1 speakers (two speakers plus a subwoofer), and motion detection. The lamp version goes for $960, and features a Philips LED dimmable bulb but none of the extra gubbins. For $240 you can get a satellite add-on, which is a small cloud designed to create a more realistic sky scene for your main Cloud.

The video below shows Cloud in action, first being controlled by remote and then reacting to movement. The same designer is also responsible for the Rotary Mechanical Smartphone, which is exactly what you would expect it to be from the name.

Source: Richard Clarkson Studio