Magic Crystal Bedside Lamp

For my main project I would like to stick with the medieval fantasy aesthetic.

The problem

I currently have a little electric candle that I use as a night light next to my bed. I keep it on at night when I want low light or I take it with me as I use the restroom or get some water. Its a nice little soft light that isn’t too bright, just enough to see with without blinding me at 2 am. The problem is that it has a little switch on the bottom that is difficult to feel and find in the dark. I would like to make the process of having light and carrying it with me a little less hands on and a little more “magical”.

Inspiration

Do you ever notice in old castles and dungeons, they have torches mounted to the wall, but then the main character is able to pick the torch off the wall, and carry it with them? Anyway, that’s pretty cool.

Figure 1: Medieval torch that can be wall mounted or carried with the user

I would love to have a light source that I could use for both room lighting, and be able to take with me. But an open flame in my house would be a little dangerous. Also, as much as I like medieval fantasy, I would prefer an aesthetic a little more magical.

This is a soul gem.

Figure 2: Soul Gem from Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

A soul gem is an item in a fantasy game series that captures the soul of a creature or person you kill, and allows you to use its energy for magical enchantments in the game. It looks like a large amethyst crystal but also has an internal glow to it.

The Solution

For my main project this semester, I would like to make a bedside lamp that looks like a soul gem in a rustic sconce. The crystal will be filled with LED’s and 3d printed out of translucent glow in the dark plastic. This will allow light to shine through, and allow the body of the crystal to also emit some glow as it is charged by the internal lights. The sconce would have a motion sensor in its base that allows the light to automatically illuminate when it detects movement in a specific range. This way it will turn on as soon as I step out of bed, making itself and the area around me visible. Secondly, the crystal will be internally powered, so I can simply pick it up out of the sconce, and carry it with me for my portable night time illumination needs. The crystal internals will also have an accelerometer which will increase the brightness of the LEDS when it detects a “shaking” gesture from the user. So when you lift it up out of the sconce, it will turn on. And when you shake it, it will get brighter. There will be some extra light behaviors programmed in later as I see fit.

I think this will solve my problem of fumbling around in the dark looking for a little switch, and look really cool sitting on my bedside nightstand.

Figure 3: Magic crystal lighting idea sketch

References

Figure 1: Medieval torch [https://p.turbosquid.com/ts-thumb/yg/mBPZp7/OG/c2/jpg/1620341280/1920×1080/fit_q87/7b7de24195df1d76b0ab624d7d4787a1bcb881d9/c2.jpg]

Figure 2: Soul Gem [https://screenrant.com/skyrim-find-use-soul-gems-enchanted-gear-guide/]