Wave the magic wand to flip to the next channel

Reimagined with inspiration from Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, the boring old TV remote control can now be replaced with a far more entertaining object. Like the Wii remote, the Kymera Magic Wand contains an accelerometer, allowing its holder to use gestures instead of pushing buttons. By putting the wand in learning mode and ‘commanding’ it with a regular remote control, the Kymera can be programmed to learn up to 13 gestures: rotate clockwise to turn up the volume, for example, or flick right to switch to the next channel. Since the Kymera uses the widely accepted magical powers of infrared technology, it can be programmed to control not just televisions, but also DVRs, stereo sets, laptops (presenting a slide presentation will suddenly become a lot more fun) and other IR-friendly equipment. The Wand Company—which is based in the UK—created a website that will enchant its audience as much as the product does, presenting it on aged paper pages and with illustrations and wording to match the wand’s magical qualities. Currently only available online, the Kymera sells for GBP 49.95 and is shipped worldwide. (Packaged, we should add, in a ‘faux dragonhide box line with Chinese silk brocade’.) The obvious business opportunity here is to try to get hold of distribution rights, although The Wand Company has already received a great deal of trade interest and states that it will only be selling from its own website for the foreseeable future. The big picture opportunity isn’t as easy to execute, but is equally obvious: take an everyday object and turn in into something extraordinary and delightful, and customers will line up at your door.