Ann Makosinski: Hollow Flashlight powered by body heat
Hollow Flashlight powered by body heat.
A friend in the Philippines had failed a school year because there was no electricity to study after dark. Makosinski started from a fact she liked: a human body radiates about as much heat as a 100-watt bulb. Four Peltier tiles on an aluminium tube turn the difference between palm heat and the cool air flowing through the hollow core into enough current for LEDs. Parts cost about US$26. She won her age category at the Google Science Fair in 2013.
IP note
US 9,723,659 and US 10,178,713 (active to 2034); eDrink mug US 10,573,799 (2020).
Recognition
Google Science Fair 2013 category winner; Forbes 30 Under 30.
What this means for a student inventor in India
[Editor: 120–200 words connecting this story to the Indian route — Section 6 (any true inventor may apply), provisional vs complete specification, disclosure at fairs (Section 31), renewals, and who owns what when a school is involved. Link to the relevant MYCrave guide.]
Related young innovators
- Vinisha Umashankar — Solar-powered ironing cart replacing charcoal box-irons
- William Kamkwamba — Home-built windmill from scrap parts
- Eesha Khare — Flexible supercapacitor electrode
Sources
[Editor: list the 2–4 primary sources from the research notes for this entry, with the date checked.]
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