The heat of the hands will be enough to produce the energy needed to power a torch. The idea is not of NASA but of a 15-year-old teenager from Canada, who is among the world finalists of the Google Science Fair dedicated to young people and their ideas that can change the world
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Il hand warmth it will be enough to produce the energy needed to power a flashlight. The idea is not from NASA but from a 15-year-old teenager from Canada, who is among the world finalists of the Google Science Fair dedicated to young people and their ideas that can change the world.
Ann Makosinski it started with the simplest thing. A flashlight is usually held in the hand. And the very energy that passes through the hands, in the form of heat, could have somehow provided the power needed for the flashlight to function. The system is not new but is based on Peltier cells. These modules are based on a principle called the Seebeck effect.
What's it about? The Seebeck effect is a thermoelectric effect whereby, in a circuit made up of metallic conductors or semiconductors, a difference in temperature generates electricity. In this way, the electric current is produced due to the temperature difference between the two adjacent surfaces, the hands in contact with the flashlight.
“The goal of my project was to make a flashlight that would work exclusively with the hand warmth. Using four Peltier cells and taking advantage of the difference in temperature between the palm of the hands and the ambient air, I designed a torch that emits intense light without batteries or moving components " has explained Ann on the initiative website.
The 15-year-old also illustrated the strengths of her idea: "My project is ergonomic, efficient from a thermodynamic point of view and only one is needed temperature difference of 5 degrees because it works and produces up to 5,4 mW at 54 lux brightness ”.
Among the finalists of the Google Science Fair there is also Elif Belgin, 16 year old from Istanbul, who has found a way to create bioplastic using banana peels.
Once again it is the little ones who show that a more human-sized world is still possible.
Francesca Mancuso
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