Young inventor creates battery-free flashlight
There’s girl power, and then there’s kid power. We’re praising 15-year-old Ann Makosinski from Victoria, British Columbia for inventing the new battery-free flashlight, which is powered instead by the heat of her hands. Google’s annual global science fair issued her one of the top prizes of submissions from thousands of students in 120 countries.
She said the idea for the “Hallow Flashlight” came from an interest in reaping the benefits humans’ untapped thermal energy. When her friend from the Philippines said she couldn’t properly study after dark because of a lack of light resources, Makosinksi was inspired to take matters into her own hands, so to speak.
The need to avoid batteries will also eradicate much of the harmful chemicals that seep into the atmosphere when we don’t dispose of them properly, she said.
“I think if you have a problem, why wait for someone else to fix it? Why wait for someone to come out with the technology, why not try and fix it yourself?” she told the Vancouver Sun.