A touch lamp is one that works with human contact in the sense that the lamp will come on and go off when someone touches it. It is not that they do not have a switch; just that they have a switch that works on the basis of the capacitance of different objects. Capacitance stands for the total charge inherent in everybody in the world. Even the human body has a very small charge as are most other objects. Thus if a person touches an object the total capacitance of the object plus the person increases to more than it was for the lamp alone. The lamp has a small switch inside that can measure this minute change in the capacitance of the lamp and will either switch on or switch off the lamp.
Although this sounds very complicated it is actually very simple and switches that measure the capacitance have been around for a long time. When incorporated into lamps they make for a great talking point if nothing else because the lamps as such are the same as other lamps. You can if you want to retro fit the switches but this is slightly complicated if you do not know how to do it and getting a touch lamp is the easiest option.
The touch lamps, as they are called, come in all shapes and designs although the touch table lamps are the most common. This is hardly surprising as you just cannot have a touch ceiling light and having a touch wall lamp will defeat the purpose for which it is there. Table lamps are best because they are small, not necessarily used only for lighting purposes and can be placed wherever you want.
The touch table lamps are just the same as any other table lamp and you therefore get the same designs that you do with the normal table lamps. The touch lamps are however usually much smaller and you very rarely get a full sized one. This does not detract from its purpose however and they are as effective as the normal lamps. Apart from the traditional table lamp designs, you also get more contemporary designs, some of them looking the least bit like a table lamp. In fact you get some that look like a spout and others that look more like statues than like lamps. If you are getting the touch lamps getting one of these designs is better because it will also look unique along with being utile.
There is no worry about children getting a shock if they touch the lamp as there is no live connection given to the lamp. It is just that the switch instead of being exposed is kept internally within the lamp and when you touch the lamp it activates this switch which closes the connection. They are just as safe, or safer, as normal lamps.
If you think that this technology is going to make the lamps very expensive you don’t need to worry. They are not that expensive and cost just as much as an ordinary table lamp. As already mentioned these lamps are a little smaller but barring that there is no difference in the quality or the price. If you are interested you can go online and look at the different models that the touch table lamps come in. This will give you an idea of the range of choices you have. In fact for as little as $30 or $50 you can get quite nice looking touch lamps that you can give as a gift to your son or daughter and they will appreciate it more than anything else that you can get them for that price. It may be just any old lamp with a different switch, but this switch makes all the difference.