Huge chunks of population in developing countries are deprived of electricity, so they use kerosene lamps and similar means for illumination. These lamps can have serious influence on people’s health and environment. Two designers based in London tried to come up with a solution to this problem in the form of a low cost and cleaner lighting solution.
GravityLight – a dream
Designers Martin Riddiford and Jim Reeves had dreamt of making a low-cost and a healthy lighting solution, and they made it happen. They have created the GravityLight, a lamp that does not depend upon solar, wind, or kinetic energy for power, but utilizes gravity. The cost effective product is available for less than $5, which makes it quite affordable for the poor.
A simple and inexpensive way out
This is not the very first project that has been worked upon to make low cost lighting options available. Several solar powered, wind powered, and kinetic energy powered solutions have contributed to the betterment of people in remote areas, but they were not as affordable as the GravityLight.
All those solutions had big kits with them and some required complex setups, which was way ahead of a layman’s capacity. On the other hand, the GravityLight does not require any complex setup, and stays on its principle of simplicity and affordability.
The GravityLight mechanism
The mechanism of GravityLight revolves around rocks and a cord. You fill rocks or stones in the bag attached to a cord and then it slowly descends, pulled by the weight of the rocks. This overall procedure is what powers the lamp, and usually generates enough power to last about an hour. You buy the lamp once then there are no running costs involved, as it is the case with other low-cost lamps.
The kit includes an adjustable lamp and a bag that can be filled with 9-10 kg of stones every time you want it to light. The bag full of stones, and its movement is what lends the lamp its name. Gears inside the device convert the weight of stones into energy as the bag descends. The light intensity can be controlled, as in lower level glow and the higher level glow as per your requirement.
The GravityLight aims to provide people residing in remote areas of some developing countries, which have no access to electricity, a lighting solution that is inexpensive, clean, and is simple to use.
Source : NewIndianExpress
