This smart candle lets you connect with loved ones

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The Lovlit Candle is a new way for people to keep in touch with loved ones, without having to pick up the phone. 

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Wouldn’t it be nice if a loved one could send a quick gesture letting you know that they’re thinking of you? Or, if you had an easy way to communicate without having to make long distance calls while away on business in a different country? That’s the idea behind engineer Joshua Jameson’s latest device.

When the 26-year-old Georgia Tech grad was given an assignment to design a product that conveyed a human emotion, he decided he wanted to create a technology that not only could relay one’s affection without having to pick up the phone, but could still establish a sense of closeness in spite of the distance. The result? An Internet-enabled, flameless candle called Lovlit that can light up whenever held — even if that means being separated by thousands of miles. A single Lovlit can also be illuminated remotely using its accompanying mobile app.

Ultimately, Lovlit Candles are intended to act as a symbol of love for those who are away from those they care about the most, whether they’re studying at school, traveling on vacation, serving in the military or recuperating in the hospital. After a few seconds of being held, it will slowly begin to emit a warm white light. As it remains in one’s hands, it will fully illuminate and start flickering like a candle. The longer the gadget is held, the longer both your candle and the one it is connected to will stay lit.

“When you know a loved one is going through a tough time and you’re not able to be there with them, it can be hard to let them know you care. Words escape us, flowers die, cards don’t always capture our true feelings. But the warm glow of candlelight from the gentle touch of caring hands could quite literally light up their day,” Jameson explains.

If you need to “put out” the candle, you can simply place your hand over the top of it, causing it to fade within a few seconds. However, if you lift your hand off the candle before it is fully extinguished, the Lovlit will spring back to life, as bright as it was before. It should be noted that extinguishing yours does not turn off the other paired candles.

Designed with people of all ages in mind, the Lovlit is super easy to set up and even easier to use. To configure, all you need to do is access your Wi-Fi router and download the companion app on your smartphone. From their, the app will walk you through the process, such as entering your credentials and selecting the friends and family members you want to connect with via the candle.

At the heart of each palm-sized unit lies an Atmel | SMART SAM D Cortex-M0+ MCU along with a WINC1500 Wi-Fi module. On top of that, the Lovlit Candle is packed with a rechargeable battery, an underglow ring-of-light, as well as sensors to detect one’s touch.

Sound like a device you’d like to have to stay connected with family and friends? Head over to the Lovlit Candle’s Kickstarter campaign, where Jameson and his team are currently seeking $75,000. Pending all goes to plan, delivery is expected to get underway in February 2016.