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

www.rawstory.com...

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.

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.

I hate Windows 8 and this particular computer so sorry the thread got posted before any content was added!!

This flashlight the young lady has put together is a marvelous idea and invention IMO and I do hope it goes into full production and lives up to it's potential!

reply to post by 727Sky

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.

Cool. Now all we have to do is harness and broaden the horizons of thermoelectric energy into other applications. It may not be a totally new idea, but it's a good one.

seeing intelligent young people using their brain and inventing..
is wonderful.

reply to post by 727Sky

Awesome, great job Ann!

Necessity truly is the mother of invention.

I wonder what company will now use what idea to patent warm hands?...

-----

Congratulation to that young girl! I hope she keeps on producing a ton of innovative solutions!

reply to post by 727Sky


tech.slashdot.org...

I don't want to be a downer, considering how great it is that young people are innovating, but this thing apparently costs 26 dollars. The other day I bought one of these:

www.shenzhen-wholesale.com...

The Peltier effect is certainly something that warrants further research, but I don't see how this is really practical for the context she proposed...

reply to post by 727Sky

I saw that on the news and admired the way she got the idea and followed through to an actual experiment. I am so pleased for her as this kind of thinking can benefit all of us in a SHTF situation perhaps.

If only we didn't shoot down our own ideas when we get them. We are our own worst enemies when it comes to innovation.

reply to post by eirikur


Understand... the light is not mass produced or accepted as a common tool.. As more or sold and new competitors come into the marketplace the price should come down IMO.

No batteries to dispose of or going dead when you need a light should also be considered into the equation if a thorough cost analysis is sought.

reply to post by 727Sky


Sadly we also need to consider the cost of Peltier tiles, something that is essentially experimental technology - nobody seems to be manufacturing them.

Ultimately I think these kinds of things are going to make massive differences in the places that need them - but at the moment, the third world doesn't care about the intrinsic value of ideas, they care about price and practicality. Batteries are around, and especially in the Philippines, the emerging middle class will very soon be looking for the cheapest existing technology - not 'green' ideas that aren't marketable beyond a doubt.

I have a flashlight that I shake to charge. Works good enough for me, so it should be good enough for a poor Filipino to do their homework.

I think I paid $12 for 3 of them on ebay 5 years ago.

727Sky

www.rawstory.com...

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.

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.

I hate Windows 8 and this particular computer so sorry the thread got posted before any content was added!!

This flashlight the young lady has put together is a marvelous idea and invention IMO and I do hope it goes into full production and lives up to it's potential!

edit on 4-10-2013 by 727Sky because: ....

This is cool. Not very practical for use in a flashlight but it's great to see a teenager doing something beside preparing for a future career as a first grade teacher.

It'd be interesting to use body power to power an ac unit for jumpsuits. I bet there'd be good money in an invention like that. I had a family member who worked in the oil fields in TX and he said for certain hazmat jobs he'd be working in 110 degree weather in a full suit. There are ice packs but again still probably miserable as can be.

OrphanApologyThis is cool. Not very practical for use in a flashlight but it's great to see a teenager doing something beside preparing for a future career as a first grade teacher.

It'd be interesting to use body power to power an ac unit for jumpsuits. I bet there'd be good money in an invention like that. I had a family member who worked in the oil fields in TX and he said for certain hazmat jobs he'd be working in 110 degree weather in a full suit. There are ice packs but again still probably miserable as can be.

Peltier and thermo-electric cooling is used (not frequently) in overclocking PCs. Its rather neat, here is a good forum for it!

While I applaud this youngin for creating and inventing (we need more like her, we really do), there are cheaper and more cost effective ways to approach the issue of light in poorer areas of the world. The only issue is, no one is really doing it with the cheaper methods, so perhaps if more profit and proprietary tech can be used we could see it actually happen. I am not sure if that is a good or a bad thing, maybe more of a double-edged sword...

Serdgiam

OrphanApologyThis is cool. Not very practical for use in a flashlight but it's great to see a teenager doing something beside preparing for a future career as a first grade teacher.

It'd be interesting to use body power to power an ac unit for jumpsuits. I bet there'd be good money in an invention like that. I had a family member who worked in the oil fields in TX and he said for certain hazmat jobs he'd be working in 110 degree weather in a full suit. There are ice packs but again still probably miserable as can be.

Peltier and thermo-electric cooling is used (not frequently) in overclocking PCs. Its rather neat, here is a good forum for it!

While I applaud this youngin for creating and inventing (we need more like her, we really do), there are cheaper and more cost effective ways to approach the issue of light in poorer areas of the world. The only issue is, no one is really doing it with the cheaper methods, so perhaps if more profit and proprietary tech can be used we could see it actually happen. I am not sure if that is a good or a bad thing, maybe more of a double-edged sword...

The problem with many of the areas that various organizations focus on is that there are larger problems that contribute to the reasons why the people in those areas aren't able to improve through their own actions. Like trying to bring water systems to an area torn from warfare or hiv education that focuses on safe sex education for women in an area where rape is widespread and accepted. It's like painting a rusty nail using face paints... the underlying problems are going to still exist.

Either way thanks for that link. There are so many cool gadgets that exist out there. Lots of great info on that forum, I will definitely read through it.

This is one of those ideas, as soon as you learn about it, you are thinking, 'why didn't I think of that!'. Simple and elegant, like Einstein's universe, I wish her all success and what a great thing!.

OrphanApology
The problem with many of the areas that various organizations focus on is that there are larger problems that contribute to the reasons why the people in those areas aren't able to improve through their own actions. Like trying to bring water systems to an area torn from warfare or hiv education that focuses on safe sex education for women in an area where rape is widespread and accepted. It's like painting a rusty nail using face paints... the underlying problems are going to still exist.

I fully agree, which is why I have made the threads I have. Of course, if we were to fix the underlying and "core" issues, those organizations would need to find new justification for funding and need to change their infrastructure..

I personally believe its short sighted for many reasons, but this isnt the place for that.

Either way thanks for that link. There are so many cool gadgets that exist out there. Lots of great info on that forum, I will definitely read through it.

You are welcome, its a great site for such things.

I wonder what would happen if someone could come up with a way to incorporate such heating/cooling into a housing structure...

Serdgiam

OrphanApology
The problem with many of the areas that various organizations focus on is that there are larger problems that contribute to the reasons why the people in those areas aren't able to improve through their own actions. Like trying to bring water systems to an area torn from warfare or hiv education that focuses on safe sex education for women in an area where rape is widespread and accepted. It's like painting a rusty nail using face paints... the underlying problems are going to still exist.

I fully agree, which is why I have made the threads I have.

Of course, if we were to fix the underlying and "core" issues, those organizations would need to find new justification for funding and need to change their infrastructure..

I personally believe its short sighted for many reasons, but this isnt the place for that.

Either way thanks for that link. There are so many cool gadgets that exist out there. Lots of great info on that forum, I will definitely read through it.

You are welcome, its a great site for such things.

I wonder what would happen if someone could come up with a way to incorporate such heating/cooling into a housing structure...

Have you seen the fabric these guys came up with?

nanopatentsandinnovations.blogspot.com...

By far carbon nanotech is the field of science that to me is the most interesting. It'd be interesting to see wall panels covered in this material. No more heaters.

OrphanApology
Have you seen the fabric these guys came up with?

nanopatentsandinnovations.blogspot.com...

By far carbon nanotech is the field of science that to me is the most interesting. It'd be interesting to see wall panels covered in this material. No more heaters.

I havent seen that!

Though, I am of the personal opinion that simplicity and basics will be the next "big thing." These newer technologies will be even more effective then. I think that going only in one direction (i.e. more complicated) is best complemented by research into optimization and efficacy changes.

There is a missing link in our current understanding that will change many things. But, thats for later..

Thank you for the link

Serdgiam

OrphanApology
Have you seen the fabric these guys came up with?

nanopatentsandinnovations.blogspot.com...

By far carbon nanotech is the field of science that to me is the most interesting. It'd be interesting to see wall panels covered in this material. No more heaters.

I havent seen that!

Though, I am of the personal opinion that simplicity and basics will be the next "big thing." These newer technologies will be even more effective then. I think that going only in one direction (i.e. more complicated) is best complemented by research into optimization and efficacy changes.

There is a missing link in our current understanding that will change many things.

But, thats for later..

Thank you for the link

Actually carbon nanotubes are simple and have been found in damascus materials in ancient times(i.e. swords whose manufacturing process have been lost). The only thing that is holding the materials back is manufacturing technology, which of course evolves really quickly once a product is introduced and proper demand is created.

www.nature.com...

I really think this material is the next "steel". It's light as a feather and about 10 times stronger, so why not? Not to mention it consists of something that is made of one the most abundant element in our known universe: carbon!

reply to post by OrphanApology


I am of the mind that nothing we come up with is "new," per se.

We only find ways to utilize it with our limited capabilities. We just manipulate the trajectory of energy over time (not in a new age sense).

The point was that our utilization of said concepts gets more and more complicated. As in, we are restricted by our manufacturing when something very similar was done with great simplicity in times long past.

Hope this makes more sense.

reply to post by 727Sky


"humans are a untapped source of thermal energy"

sounds like matrix talk to me.


for any scientist in the building my question is would you be able to achieve the same result by putting a heating element inside the flashlight and then insulating you hand?

if google is correct 5 foot candles is 53 lumens?

if thats not right its not bad for a hand, but not good enough for many practical reasons im assuming, for instance you need at least 100 lumens to use as a bike headlight.