Nimbus: Cableless is the future of lighting

Who has ever struggled with endless cables under the desk? From computers and monitors to desk lamps, every electronic device needs to be plugged in and the cables stored somewhere. So how much more practical is it to reduce the amount of cables through a highly functional wireless desk lamp or a cableless reading light when at home?

Wireless lighting is the future, at least that is what Dietrich F. Brennenstuhl is convinced of. Brennenstuhl is the founder and CEO of the Stuttgart-based Nimbus Group. Even ten years ago, when nobody thought this was even possible, Dietrich F. Brennenstuhl had the idea to use electroluminescent diodes for lighting whole buildings and was the first to do so. Now, as a pioneer, he combines energy-efficient LED technology with advanced battery technology to design, create and build desk, ceiling, wall and reading lamps; not only energy saving and practical, but also well designed. These lightings can be used anywhere without being plugged in and last up to 100 hours without being charged; not only in the office, but also at home, for example as bedside, wall or reading lights.

Roxxane Fly, ultraportable luminaire.

“The idea of cordless lighting is something that has driven me for many years,” Brennenstuhl recently said in an interview. Even during his time as an architect he often thought that planning light fittings in private residences was more of a compromise than really adapting to present and future needs. “The place sockets or fittings that were installed might prove completely dysfunctional a year later.” Often reading lamps for example are put where a socket is and not where a person really wants them to be, so the light does not follow human needs but the other way around. No matter if it is in one’s own four walls at home or in an office, getting rid of the cables heightens the comfort and creates greater flexibility in space and design.

At this year’s Light + Building, the world’s leading trade fair for lighting systems, Nimbus presented various new wireless luminaires. These new developments are not the first innovations Nimbus has brought on the market.

Roxxane – a family of cableless LED lightings

In 2015, Roxxane Fly revolutionised the sector when Nimbus launched the first cableless luminaire. At the end of July this year, a new Roxxane Leggera model was rolled out, a succeeding model of the before mentioned Roxxane Fly but with even better technology and more fields of applications. Leggera has a researchable battery pack in its lampstand that can be reloaded via USB-C interface. Alternatively, a magnetic loading station with fitting power supply unit can be used to re-power the lighting. It is easy to handle, can be dimmed through touch and small LED lights indicate the battery’s power statues and when to recharge. Like all Roxxane luminaires the Leggera has a flexible head, allowing to adjust the incidence of light according to its user’s needs. Colour rendition (the ability of a light source to show true colours) here is Ra > 90 and the Leggera produces 800 Lumens, approximately as much as traditional a 60-watt light bulb, but with far less energy required.

The Nimbus Roxxane Leggera CL reading luminaire.

‘No compromise’ is the slogan Nimbus uses when advertising the Roxxane family. Berlin-based designer Rupert Kopp designs all Roxxane lightings together with the Nimbus design team, a cooperation that gained Nimbus luminaires various design prizes. In 2015, for example, the Roxxane Fly was awarded the Focus Open 2015 in Silver, the Baden-Wuerttemberg state award. Only recently, the Nimbus Roxxane Leggera was nominated for the German Design Award 2017. It took the Nimbus group and designer Kopp nearly two years to develop the first lighting of this family, two years until everyone involved was happy with the outcome. This alone speaks not only about the outstanding and puristic design, but more so about the high-class technology that is involved here. Form and technology are in perfect symbiosis.

A new model will come out in autumn

In autumn, a completely new, cableless model will follow with Winglet, continuing the tradition of technical innovation and outstanding design. The Stuttgart-based Nimbus group wants to be different, not only when it comes to new developments and a rather successful history since its founding 25 years ago, but also when it comes to attitude. Every morning, for example, the 160 employees meet in the dining hall for a joint breakfast before continuing work. Rank does not play a role and so designers and factory workers share a table with sales staff and specialists for acoustics and interior design – or the managing director Dietrich F. Brennenstuhl himself.

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TEXT: JESSICA HOLZHAUSEN | PHOTOS: NIMBUS GROUP / FRANK OCKERT