Alien Abduction Lamp: from concept to prototype
I got the idea for the Alien Abduction Lamp late in the summer of 2006, and I finished designing the lamp during a holiday in Italy in May 2007. I published the 3D renderings on June 4. 2007; - with low expectations, and without any plans for taking the project beyond the concept stage.
High demand
Shortly after publishing the lamp, the response was overwhelming. International press and blog press wrote several articles about the lamp, and I got Stumbled, Dugg and Boing-Boing-ed. Messages were ticking in daily, and they continue to do so today. I have also been contacted by several manufacturers, distributors and resellers. The massive demand made me change my mind, and I started to feel a personal responsibility to take the Alien Abduction Lamp from concept to product.
Still just a concept?
I had a great time on a six month paternity leave with my little daughter this autumn. The paternity leave gave me less time to work on this and other projects than I had hoped for. In addition to this, the companies that I got in touch with last summer were all really busy. So a lot of time this autumn was spent waiting for communication in both directions between myself and the different companies.
The right path
There are several paths from idea to product, and I made the decision early on that I wanted to license the design to a company with a proven record of producing good products, rather than attempting to do it all myself. This will only give me a small percentage of the sales, but my biggest goal right now is to have the lamp made in the best quality possible. I do not have the time, the funds or the experience to go all the way by myself.
A UK based company
I have ended up selecting a quite small but very capable company based in the UK. They will be producing the lamp in China where they also have an office. I am licensing the design while keeping creative control, and we are now working closely together to make this the best product possible. Distribution and sales will be handled from their office in the UK.
Survey
There will probably be some differences between a 3D rendering based on a wild idea, and a real product based on the same drawings. Some design decisions and minor changes will have to be made, but I think it is very important that the final product becomes something that all the people who has shown a strong interest in the concept would still like and wish to own.
More than 1600 people had sent me an enthusiastic message from abductionlamp.com by the beginning of March. I found out that the best way to get the answers that I needed was to put together a small survey on the most important decisions that have to be made for the people that have expressed a wish to buy this lamp. I have summarised the survey, and I will publish the main findings here in the near future.
Next steps
The next step is to produce a working prototype. How long it will take from there until the lamp is ready for shipping is too early to say, but I hope that the lamp will be available some time during 2008 if everything goes well.
Stay tuned!
I will keep you informed on the progress if you send me a message with your email address from abductionlamp.com. I promise that you will only receive relevant messages from me.
April 3rd, 2008 at 3:51 am
I have been following your news since last june and i am STILL fired up by this cute concept! Would it be possible that you put the survey result too? (i sent mine ^_^) And please dont charge so expensive ya, im staying in Malaysia. P/S: i heard there’s few cow missing in my country… i wonder could it be…
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:47 am
We are so looking forward to it, Mr Klein!
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:47 am
Absolutely fabulous. I’ve been checking in here for (what seems like) ages waiting for solid updates on the lamp. Glad to see things are moving forward!
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:10 pm
[…] The Alien Abduction Lamp is moving from concept to prototype. […]
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Peter:
I am very glad to hear that you are still interested! I will post some key findings from the survey once I have the time. I will also post a small guide to host surveys of your own. One of the results was that the majority wanted the metal/glass version. That is the one that I want for myself too. It will cost more to produce than the plastic version, but I think it will be worth it. The final price will not be up to me to decide, but I am sure it will be reasonable.
Andreas:
Takk for det, min gode mann!
Winter:
I am glad you haven’t given up on me. It seems like ages for me too. There has been a lot of waiting and some ups and downs. I did not want to publish anything until I had something concrete to say and a strong belief that this will actually happen. I will not completely believe that the lamp is being produced until I hold it in my hands. I hope that will happen in the not too distant future!
April 8th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Thanks for the reply! Very excited to know that you’re steering towards the glass & metal version.
I’ll keep my eyes peeled!
April 15th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Alien Abduction Lamp moves from concept to prototype…
The “Alien Abduction lamp” which we all enjoyed early 2007 looks like moving forward from concept to production. Designer Lasse Klein put “an update” on his web site.
Tell us when the production starts - we want one.
continue …
April 19th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
I am SO excited about this lamp! I’ll be checking back frequently for updates. I can’t wait to have the opportunity to add it to my decor!
April 19th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
ABSOLUTLEY BRILLIANT!! you know exactly what you are doing and its great to see that you still have the people that are interested in buying the lamp firmly in the forefront of what decisions you make. REMEMBER ket me know when its out you sale, ive been keeping my eyes on this product since i last contacted you about it with some ideas - glad to see that hopefully it will be ready to ship this year!! keep up the good work!! and congrats on your baby daughter!!
April 24th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Ya know…when I first saw this post and noted the date (April 1st, traditionally “April Fool’s Day” in the US) I was a bit skeptical. I keep coming back expecting to see a “HA! I gotcha!” post. Glad to see that hasn’t yet happened.
Onward HO!
April 26th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
I would like to buy a bovine abductee lamp pleeese!!!!
May 3rd, 2008 at 11:52 am
i would really like to buy it!