Canadian teen’s battery-free ‘hollow flashlight’ could bring light to developing world

[Judi Lynn]

Canadian teen’s battery-free ‘hollow flashlight’ could bring light to developing world
By The Christian Science Monitor
Thursday, October 3, 2013 7:46 EDT



It's been a busy past few weeks for 15-year-old science whiz Ann Makosinski.

The Victoria, British Columbia teen is garnering plenty of international attention for her hollow flashlight, which operates solely on the warmth of the hand. The invention made her the winner of her age category in last week's Google Science Fair, and has even sparked talks with an interested company.

Between her TedX speech in Washington and interview with National Geographic, Ann is getting back into the swing of life as a regluar high school student--even as a crew from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation films her during physics class.

Why all the buzz? Ann might have just brought light to the third world.

That's one way to describe the battery-free flashlight, which uses Peltier tiles that produce electricity from a difference in temperature. Ann says she got the idea when she noticed one of her friends in the Philippines saw her grades fall because she did not have light to study with at night.

More:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/10/03/canadian-teens-battery-free-hollow-flashlight-could-bring-light-to-developing-world/

[bunnies]

1. Cool but...

Battery free flashlights already exist. All you have to do is shake 'em.

[phantom power]

2. yeah, or hand-crank

[bunnies]

3. forgot about those.

And neither have to be kept warm to work.

[kestrel91316]

4. The moving parts in them are easily broken.

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

5. I have one you have to keep gripping to spin the generator, that gets tiring...

I like her idea working with the tiles, no moving parts. An led lasts a long time. But you have to hold it in your hand, as it uses your body heat to generate power.

[theHandpuppet]

6. Tell me about it

Cost too much and break if you so much as breathe on them. Pieces of crap. Tell someone mired in poverty in a third world country that their problem would be solved if only they shelled out a few months' wages for a crappy crank light.

[Surya Gayatri]

7. Vive la jeunesse ! Well, done, young lady!

Hope she is vindicated by getting recognition and financial reward.

[Fumesucker]

8. Not to throw cold water on this idea

But that flashlight is going to work less and less well as the ambient temperature approaches body temperature.

Pretty good in Canada, somewhat less so in Bangladesh.

[whopis01]

9. But if you throw cold water on her idea, wouldn't it help?

Because it would create a greater temperature differential between it and body temperature?


(Sorry - couldn't resist)

[Fumesucker]

11. That's one of the things I like about DU

No matter the straight line you can always find someone to play it.

[Smickey]

10. Very very Cool

I want one. Furthermore couldn't one use the same tech for just about anything that generates heat? Say escaping heat from homes. Incorporate this idea into roofing shingles and power whatever.