The SmartCharge light bulb is the first of its kind. The bulb does not rely on grid power to light up, allow it to remain lit even during a power outage. With the use of the patent pending Grid & Switch Sensor technology, the bulb can be controlled through wall and lamp switches like a normal light bulb but can be turned on even without power.

The Grid & Switch Senor technology is able to sense a power outage. The bulb can distinguishing between a loss of power due to opening of the line switch and a loss of power resulting from a grid failure when the line switch is either open or close, according to the Smart Charge Kickstarter campaign page.

The bulb is equipped with a battery, control technology, intelligence, CUP, memory, inverter, and a printed circuit board.

What sets the bulb apart from other emergency lights is that the bulb will not turn on automatically when the power goes out. Instead, the bulb recognizes the position of the light switch in order to conserve energy, and will only turn on if the light switch is set to on. The battery will recharge itself once the power returns.