The Human Heat Powered Flashlight

[MysterionMuffles]

 

If this technology could be expanded on, I would love for it to be utilized for other hand held electronics, mainly video game controllers. Around the time I learned about Ann's science fair entry, I had bought my 2nd pair of rechargable battery packs for my Xbox360. First I had battery packs that required USB plugs that connected to the console to recharge, but those batteries or maybe the wires died out. To replace them, I got another pair of battery packs by Energizer where you stick your controllers into a charging dock, and I think that product has lasted me longer. However, I think with the heat powered technology implemented for controllers, it would make alkalike battery packs obsolete and that would be awesome! I wonder if it's possible and if anyone with a scientific background or any scientific knowledge at all could verify for me if the heat power technology Ann developed can be implemented for controllers, remotes, or even phones. I look forward to your thoughts as I believe this is only my 1st real topic in this forum.

PS This would be a better use of diamonds!!!

[Wuzzums]

It's a neat idea but I don't think it's nearly as efficient as what we already have. From what she said I got it that the power comes from the heat of your hand meaning it won't run unless you're touching it.

 

If there is a way to charge it (meaning it has a regular battery in there too) then it's still not such a great idea because in order to do so you will have to walk around holding on to it compared to sticking a battery in a charger and going about your day freely.

 

Dynamo based flashlights have been around since almost always and provide better lighting no matter of how warm your hand and room are.

 

Then there's the shake flashlight. The heat flashlight would probably replace it if can produce better lighting.

 

I get your disdain with Xbox controllers. Microsoft has such a roundabout way of doing things. For instance the PS controller has no batteries, is wireless, and is charged through the PS' USB port. I don't know if it's laziness or patent bs but Microsoft is notorious for doing crap like this. For instance I know for a fact it failed to implement a shock protection system in their Xbox units even though the technology has been around for almost 2 decades. If you move the Xbox while a disk is playing it will scratch the disk and/or damage the Xbox. If you move a PS while a disk is playing nothing happens.

[MysterionMuffles]

LOL yeah damn MS, eh? Faulty designs and the only reason to get an Xbox and pay for online play is for better netcode.

 

Anyways, like she said though, the power would be more if it had diamonds instead of aluminum, right? I still think it'd be a good idea to have heat, or even TOUCH generated controllers and remotes so that there's no need to charge them or have batteries. By simply picking something up, you can power it. That would be awesome. 

[VolT]

The problem with heat based powering up is, for this device to be energized, it needs to take heat energy from you. Meaning it needs to feel cold to your touch, depending on how much heat flux has been engineered in.

 

Can you imagine your X box controller feeling consistently colder than your hand consistently, never warming up! I would want to put a glove on, but then the device wont work!  

[J-William]

The problem with heat based powering up is, for this device to be energized, it needs to take heat energy from you. Meaning it needs to feel cold to your touch, depending on how much heat flux has been engineered in.

I'd call that a huge bonus! My hands get sweaty whenever I'm playing a really intense game.

 

It would be cool, at least electronics have gotten efficient enough that we can talk about body heat powering things.

[MysterionMuffles]

I'd call that a huge bonus! My hands get sweaty whenever I'm playing a really intense game.

 

It would be cool, at least electronics have gotten efficient enough that we can talk about body heat powering things.

 

LOL I don't sweat but man do my hands go get warm when I face off someone really challenging online.

 

I'm sure they can continue to make improvements to this. It's at a very infant stage right now, but I'm hoping it can reach the point of being usable beyond flashlights.

 

Perhaps I don't understand this fully, but the side you touch stays cold because the heat gets transferred to the other in order to generate the electricity? I thought it just stays at a neutral temperature as opposed to getting colder.

[Josh F]

love these little geniuses

[VolT]

LOL I don't sweat but man do my hands go get warm when I face off someone really challenging online.

 

I'm sure they can continue to make improvements to this. It's at a very infant stage right now, but I'm hoping it can reach the point of being usable beyond flashlights.

 

Perhaps I don't understand this fully, but the side you touch stays cold because the heat gets transferred to the other in order to generate the electricity? I thought it just stays at a neutral temperature as opposed to getting colder.

 

You are correct it doesnt get colder, to explain the full effects here are some links.

 

This is an over kill of links but here you go:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermoelectric_effect

http://www.micropelt.com/thermogenerator.php

http://www.micropelt.com/downloads/datasheet_mpg_d655.pdf

 

 

I'd call that a huge bonus! My hands get sweaty whenever I'm playing a really intense game.

 

It would be cool, at least electronics have gotten efficient enough that we can talk about body heat powering things.

 

A very good point!

[MysterionMuffles]

Thanks for the links I'll look more into it, VolT!

 

I also found this Ted Talk she did:

 

 

It's inspiring to see the personal motives that go behind inventions. The gadgets themselves are really cool, but to find out the backstory as to why it was conceived really increases the invention's importance.

 

As a Filipino child of 1st generation immigrants, I can empathize and sympathize with Ann's friend's story. My mom has told me about being a kid in Philipines and her meals only consisted of rice, sugar, and milk. Occassionally there's a banana in there and once a week they could meat. This all changed of course when all her siblings started working and contributing to the family in order to put better food on the table and improve their living conditions.

 

So taking a dire situation or just some lack in the world, and then coming up with ways to solve or improve it, the drive to create does some wonderful things. Like she says, "be the source of the world's solutions," in any way possible. Which is what I love about all the members on here who have found a way to implement philosophy in their daily lives to affect their immediate worlds: the child abuse interventions, the peaceful parenting practitioners, free market entrepeneurs, creative artists--you're all wonderful people!

 

Now I'm inspired to check out the Steve Jobs movie with Ashton Kutcher. Has anyone seen it and is it worth the watch? I mean, I was entertained by The Social Network, I think it had some great writing, but Jesse Eisenberg's depiction of Mark Zuckerburg was very inaccurate, as he is to do making every character role of his to be neurotic. So in turn it's also a sensationalized version of what actually heppened when it came to the making of Facebook with a pretentiously emphasis on Mark's nerdiness. With that in mind, I'm wondering if Ashton Kutcher's depiction of Steve Jobs is respectable and not a horribly parody of who he was.

 

Devil's Advocate thoughts:

 

 

But wait...she said her friend didn't have electricity, then how were they messaging each other? :| Lol well maybe she got the luxury at some point or has access to some placee that provides internet service or something. It doesn't diminish the goal to provide electricity to places that do need lights at night. As admirable this ambition is, why couldn't her friend use candles or do her homework during the day despite of the house chores she needs to do? Then again I really don't know the difficulty of living in a 3rd world country, and for that I'm thankful.

[Lians]

I may or may not have mistaken an "a" for an "e" somewhere in the title of this thread.

[Psychophant]

I may or may not have mistaken an "a" for an "e" somewhere in the title of this thread.

 

Yeah, a Fleshlight yuppy would be great, operated by the means of wet hands and lots of industrial diamonds for just  US$800.00 or the  Fleshlight pervy, operated by the means of wet hands, aluminum and a lot of will power, for just about US$250.00 and last but not least me, operated by a perverted and sadistic chick. 

[MysterionMuffles]

too far bro lol