Lunecase Uses Electromagnetic Energy to Display iPhone Notifications

Tuesday April 29, 2014 7:00 AM PDT by Juli Clover
Ukrainian company Concepter today debuted a new Kickstarter project for the Lunecase, a new iPhone case that uses electromagnetic energy emitted from the iPhone to detect and alert users when a text message or phone call is placed.

The Lunecase does does not require a battery or a connection with the phone, but it is able to determine when the iPhone receives an SMS message or a phone call, at which point it lights up an LED on the back of the phone to create a visual notification.

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The case is smart enough to tell the difference between the two types of notifications and the LED in the case is powered by energy emitted by the iPhone itself. Eliminating the need for a battery allows the Lunecase to retain a thin form factor while being able to provide notifications. Lunecase was initially shown off at CES 2014, where it received positive reactions.

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"Accessories made for the iPhone can sometimes take the beauty and easy functionality away from the phone," said Concepter founder Vlad Tislenko. "Lunecase brings the back of your phone to life and enhances the natural iPhone functionality with no batteries, no cords and no bulk."
Currently, Concepter is creating Lunecases for the iPhone 5/5s and the iPhone 5c.

A limited number of black Lunecases can be preordered on Kickstarter for $30, with a white Lunecase also available for the iPhone 5/5s for a pledge of $39. Personalized engraving is available for $99, and all Lunecases are expected to ship in August of 2014.

53 comments


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Sky Blue
69 months ago
My iPhone has a builtin screen that can display the same information and more.
Rating: 17 Votes
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D.T.
69 months ago
It has not a battery nor a connection? Surely this uses some form of dark sorcery!
Rating: 16 Votes
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tbrinkma
69 months ago

I agree that it's a cause of concern that it can be powered by electromagnetic energy released from the phone, but I'm no physicist. Cool technology though.


If your phone didn't emit electromagnetic energy, it wouldn't *work*. That's what radio waves are. It looks/sounds like it's leeching power off your phone's transmit antenna, which 'powers up' when there is an incoming call or text.

If I'm right, I can't imagine this is going to do good things for signal strength/reception, and that'll cause your battery to drain faster.

I agree that it's a cool bit of tech, though. Even if maybe not practical.
Rating: 6 Votes
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Rudy69
69 months ago
Kinda cool, but by the time it will ship I'll probably be looking at the iPhone 6 lol
Rating: 5 Votes
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thepowerofnone
69 months ago
This is a little scary - the fact that this case can power its LED off of the background electromagnetic emissions of the iPhone tells you that there is fair bit of energy to exploit there. Makes you wonder if there is a genuine cause for concern.
Rating: 5 Votes
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Nunyabinez
69 months ago
I use the LED to notify me of messages when the phone is muted. It works fine, but can be a little intrusive. This might be cool for something a little more subtle.
Rating: 4 Votes
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whooleytoo
69 months ago

I'm pretty sure you can power an LED off of a potato, so I wouldn't be too concerned.


CNN Breaking News tonight: Never mind potato fries making your children obese. Now potatoes are frying your obese children!!*

* Not based on any actual science. Real world facts may vary dramatically. No children were hurt in the making of this message.
Rating: 4 Votes
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GenesisST
69 months ago

CNN Breaking News tonight: Never mind potato fries making your children obese. Now potatoes are frying your obese children!!*

* Not based on any actual science. Real world facts may vary dramatically. No children were hurt in the making of this message.


Nah, CNN is all about the plane these days!
Rating: 4 Votes
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jclardy
69 months ago

This is a little scary - the fact that this case can power its LED off of the background electromagnetic emissions of the iPhone tells you that there is fair bit of energy to exploit there. Makes you wonder if there is a genuine cause for concern.


I'm pretty sure you can power an LED off of a potato, so I wouldn't be too concerned.
Rating: 3 Votes
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GeneralChang
69 months ago

Of course there is. But you should've known that prior to this case. We are bathing in high energy emissions all day. We didn't evolve in that environment. I like my convenience devices a lot, but I think there's some long term consequence to pay. I think I've experienced certain parasomnias due to microwave emissions. The science is still inconclusive and debated but there are psychiatric applications of electromagnetic emissions for depression treatment being explored. If they think that works at all, why the hell wouldn't the opposite work too (cause problems)?


To be fair, our species actually did evolve with a pretty high level of background radiation, and we’re built to handle a pretty decent ammount of it. It’s difficult to get historical data for this more than a hundred years ago or so, but if our radiation exposure has gone up due to our exposure to consumer electronics, it’s extremely marginal.

Now airline travel? That has seriously increased our exposure to radiation. Same goes for the depletion of the ozone layer, especially in the southern hemisphere. You should probably focus your concern more on that than your phone.
Rating: 3 Votes
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