French design firm Quarks has created a tactile “switch,” a fusion of paint and embedded electronic mechanisms that enable a wall to act as an electronic switch. APCI explains:

The principle here is composed of paint and an electronic mechanism. Once the ON/OFF paint has been applied to the wall, a simple touch detects the contact desired by the user to control an electrical appliance. This “switch” is no longer positioned at an exact location only a few square centimetres in size but on the entire surface of the wall. The paint can be applied with a roller or a brush, on any background (plaster, wood, concrete, plastic, etc.). It may be covered in a coat of paint the colour you want, or wallpaper, without losing effectiveness. ON/OFF may be combined with a lamp, an alarm, roller blinds or any electrically-controlled appliances. You can add another function to the unit such as a dimmer, timer or plug.

When design steps in: no need to pull any electric wires, the switch can cover a large surface. The switch disappears visually and the electronic mechanism remains hidden. It is accessible almost anywhere, whether in zig zag corridors or in large rooms; the switch is everywhere without being seen. The contact area location and dimension can be chosen easily, whether a strip, a whole wall or an isolated area.

Quarks

APCI: “ON/OFF, peinture sensitive qui transforme vos murs en commande tactile”

[via Moco Loco]