The Light speaker from the Swedish technology company Transparent combines a portable speaker and a light into one, inspired by traditional lanterns

Transparent light speaker. Lighting can be adjusted from ambient light to candle-like to bright light

This new portable Light speaker comes from the Swedish technology brand Transparent. Although the company is small, it has big ambitions. The Stockholm-based brand was founded in 2011 and gained fame for its iconic transparent speakers. This is an eye-catching industrial design whose internal operations are exposed due to the meticulous industrial design.

In addition to paying tribute to Franco Albini's Radio at Cristallo in 1940 (recently re-released by Cassina), this series of speakers also aims to unravel the mystery of the complexity hidden in modern electronics. 

After a long period of development, crowdfunding and prototyping, the company is now launching its second major product, the Light speaker. Per Brickstad, Transparent’s chief designer, said: “For some time, we have wanted to make smaller products.” “For something so small, there is no practical reason to make it transparent, just like our big speakers. Instead, the design was inspired by lanterns.

This new speaker is made of glass and aluminum, and indeed has striking similarities to traditional lanterns, with a perforated shell, borosilicate glass "can" and hoop handles.

By integrating variable intensity LEDs into the bottom of the "jar", the design becomes a dual-purpose wireless speaker-a portable light that can range from soft lighting to strong flashlights. From the beginning, the company used crowdfunding to reach out to potential customers and supporters. The first 400 subscribers of the Light concept were all asked to provide detailed feedback. "They said they wanted the light to be more powerful," said Martin Willers, CEO of Transparency. "As a result, significant functional improvements were made during the development process."

The result is a speaker with personality. "We have done a lot of work in terms of light quality," Brickstad continued. 'It can go from the appearance of hot embers or coal, to open flames and candlelight, and then into a warm white like old-fashioned light bulbs, and finally into functional glare. We have developed an acoustic principle that uses light as a passive component of the speaker system, so the light physically vibrates with sound. This really helps the music experience because the speaker "sings" the music, which makes it more like a multi-sensory experience-you can see the music in front of your eyes. 

Another key challenge is to create a small electronic device that can be repaired and updated. "Creating a scalable design is a huge challenge," Brickstad said. Currently, Light is made of 60% recycled aluminum.

"This is a process of continuously improving the level of recycled materials for each element," the designer continued. 'We spent a lot of time exploring the supply chain and the quality of recycled materials. Our ultimate vision is not to take anything from scratch in our products. 

Willers reiterated the company's vision. "As product designers, our main goal is to make durable products," he said. This requires careful detail. For example, the glass has threads on both ends, just like a jam jar, but the manufacturing tolerances must be more precise.

"We have been told many times that we should stick it together. It will be simpler, cheaper and faster. But we are stubborn," Brikstad said. "This struggle makes us worthwhile to make electronic devices." 

The external dimensions enhance the sound quality. The glass jar contains an acoustic volume of half a liter, which helps the transmission of sound. Brickstad said: "This is a product that can add real value-a full range of sound-and excellent performance." "There is a balance between the acoustic chamber and the driver." With built-in weatherability, ten hours of battery life , Bluetooth, and the ability to pair two Light speakers together, transparency creates a friendly but practical object that transcends novelty value.

Brickstad said: "We want to make a product for social occasions-it should be a bit like a campfire, like a living flame." "We believe in creating a certain degree of magic from technology. Ultimately, we hope to become the first recycling technology brand. §

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