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Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Flashlight Powered by Body Heat

A flashlight powered by your body temperature would be really useful for power outages or camping. Ann Makosinski, a 15-year-old student from Victoria, British Columbia, developed a flashlight that does just that.
In her research, Ann learned about Peltier tiles. Peltier devices — devices that produce electricity when one side of the tile is heated while the other side is cooled. What better way to generate power? And what better outlet for Ann's device than a flashlight?

After reworking the voltage and circuitry, Ann was able to create a light powered only by her own body heat. Next, she figured out how to use her idea to power a flashlight. Using a simple flashlight, the STEM-savvy teen cut away the plastic exterior so that the flashlight user's hand would come in direct contact with the built-in Peltier tiles. And just like that — she had light!
Makosinski took her project to the Google Science Fair, and was the winner in the 15-16-old division.

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