Headlamp powered by the heat of the human body
Anna Makosinsky, a young inventor who won the award for the invention of a thermoelectric flashlight, demonstrated a new version of her invention: a headlamp powered by the heat of the human body.
A 16-year-old girl from the city of Victoria showed off a new device at the Ontario Science Center in Toronto on Tuesday, where she received an award for flashlight concept in 2014.
The flashlight, which won the prize at the Google Science Fair in 2013, as well as the headlamp, is charged from the so-called Peltier devices. Peltier elements are capable of producing a small amount of electricity during heating, on the one hand, and cooling, on the other. Heating is carried out by the heat of the palm, and cooling - with the help of air passing through an aluminum tube.
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The Weston award of $ 2,000, established in 2008, is annually awarded to young Canadians who creatively used their scientific knowledge to change the world for the better. As for Makosinski, she hopes that her inventions will help people in developing countries, such as friends in the Philippines, who were the first to inspire her to create inventions.
“She told me how she failed the exams at school because she was not able to learn lessons at night because of the lack of electricity,” Makovinski recalled in an interview with a CBC news reporter.
She added that such a device can be useful in emergency situations as well as in camping conditions, since it does not require the use of batteries.
The project to create a headlamp was quite ambitious, recalls Makosinski, because it was necessary to create a design that would not be too heavy or cumbersome to wear, as if it was about to fall from your head. "
Another challenge was to find a fairly good battery, because the head radiates a lot of heat.
Characteristic features of the current prototype are batteries, which are attached on both sides of the device, and the LED lamp, which is located at the top of a long case, like a lollipop candy.
The invention has a solar panel for additional make-up and a capacitor that allows you to accumulate electricity without using a battery.
“The device only needs to be turned on, and it will produce light - the temperature of the flashlight doesn't matter at the same time,” Makosinski commented.
Under normal conditions, the devices work better at low temperatures, there is also a big difference between the temperature of the head and the air, although Makosinski claims that the difference can be as little as two or three degrees.
She added extra features to the flashlight, which she is still working on to improve.
The girl noted that several companies have already expressed interest in the manufacture of this device, but "they wait until the brightness of the flashlight becomes competitive compared to existing analogues in the international market."
Makosinski expressed the hope that she would be able to invest the money received from the recent prize in order to receive a patent for her invention.
However, she is pleased to be able to demonstrate her inventions at the Ontario Science Center.
“A lot of young people will be able to see the devices and check their work, and I hope they will get inspired.”
The Weston Youth Innovation Award was established by the W. Garfield Weston Foundation, a private Canadian family foundation. Previously, awards were given for inventions such as devices that made solar panels recharge from the sun, and biofilters that can remove nanoparticles from wastewater.
A 16-year-old girl from the city of Victoria showed off a new device at the Ontario Science Center in Toronto on Tuesday, where she received an award for flashlight concept in 2014.
The flashlight, which won the prize at the Google Science Fair in 2013, as well as the headlamp, is charged from the so-called Peltier devices. Peltier elements are capable of producing a small amount of electricity during heating, on the one hand, and cooling, on the other. Heating is carried out by the heat of the palm, and cooling - with the help of air passing through an aluminum tube.
')
The Weston award of $ 2,000, established in 2008, is annually awarded to young Canadians who creatively used their scientific knowledge to change the world for the better. As for Makosinski, she hopes that her inventions will help people in developing countries, such as friends in the Philippines, who were the first to inspire her to create inventions.
“She told me how she failed the exams at school because she was not able to learn lessons at night because of the lack of electricity,” Makovinski recalled in an interview with a CBC news reporter.
She added that such a device can be useful in emergency situations as well as in camping conditions, since it does not require the use of batteries.
The project to create a headlamp was quite ambitious, recalls Makosinski, because it was necessary to create a design that would not be too heavy or cumbersome to wear, as if it was about to fall from your head. "
Another challenge was to find a fairly good battery, because the head radiates a lot of heat.
Characteristic features of the current prototype are batteries, which are attached on both sides of the device, and the LED lamp, which is located at the top of a long case, like a lollipop candy.
The invention has a solar panel for additional make-up and a capacitor that allows you to accumulate electricity without using a battery.
“The device only needs to be turned on, and it will produce light - the temperature of the flashlight doesn't matter at the same time,” Makosinski commented.
Under normal conditions, the devices work better at low temperatures, there is also a big difference between the temperature of the head and the air, although Makosinski claims that the difference can be as little as two or three degrees.
She added extra features to the flashlight, which she is still working on to improve.
The girl noted that several companies have already expressed interest in the manufacture of this device, but "they wait until the brightness of the flashlight becomes competitive compared to existing analogues in the international market."
Makosinski expressed the hope that she would be able to invest the money received from the recent prize in order to receive a patent for her invention.
However, she is pleased to be able to demonstrate her inventions at the Ontario Science Center.
“A lot of young people will be able to see the devices and check their work, and I hope they will get inspired.”
The Weston Youth Innovation Award was established by the W. Garfield Weston Foundation, a private Canadian family foundation. Previously, awards were given for inventions such as devices that made solar panels recharge from the sun, and biofilters that can remove nanoparticles from wastewater.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/226631/
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