Canadian girls make a flashlight torso

At age 15, Canadian high school student Ann Makosinski designed and created a torch that runs on human body temperature. The Hollow Flashlight flashlight helped Ann reach the final of the 15-16th annual Google Science Fair, surpassing thousands of competitors from more than 100 countries around the world.

According to Gizmag, the LED bulb is based on thermal effects with plates that generate electricity from the difference in temperature. These panels are mounted outside a hollow tube so that when held on the hand, one side of the panels produces electricity heated by the hand, while the air goes through the hollow tube to ensure the other is still cool. . Electricity generated by the difference in temperature between the two sides of the plates will make the LEDs glow.

Makosinski created two different versions of the flashlight. The first uses aluminum tubes, which help absorb heat quickly due to its high thermal conductivity, while the second is made from PVC pipes.

Both models work better when the difference between ambient temperature and body temperature is greater. Flashlights will work when the air temperature is around 10 ° C, but they will emit more light if the temperature is 5 ° C. However, Ann Makosinski says both flashlights can still glow for about 20 minutes, even in warmer temperatures.

The final cost of creating a flashlight is about $ 25, but if it is mass produced, the price will go down.

Makosinski, along with 14 young inventors who entered the finals of the Google Science Fair, will head to a Google-hosted camp at Mountain View, California, in September, where members are divided into three age groups, and each group will have one winner. A $ 50,000 Google scholarship will be awarded to the winner of the final prize, along with a trip to the Galapagos Islands.