GravityLight: Generate light with gravity
gravitylight.org
GravityLight: Generate light with gravity
1–10 of 132 posts
Re: GravityLight: Generate light with gravity
#2Loads of great social tech ideas including this one on Social Tech Guide (http://socialtech.org.uk/), nominations are open for new ones at the moment if you come across any more..
Re: GravityLight: Generate light with gravity
#3This is wonderful. I plan to buy at least one for emergencies, and also to help make them cheaper for others.
Re: GravityLight: Generate light with gravity
#4Here's what people said about it 3 years ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4889266
Re: GravityLight: Generate light with gravity
#5Here's what people said about it 3 years ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4889266
It's amazing the amount of people who immediately cry hoax. Someone raised a good point about taking money from locals and bringing it to Europe/America/China, but clearly this isn't breaking the law of physics.
Re: GravityLight: Generate light with gravity
#6Here's what people said about it 3 years ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4889266
Very interesting to see how they have improved the design since then with development of the GL-02:
http://gravitylight.org/coming-soon-gl02/
A more efficient LED, a power output port, and continuous operation, but most notably: a pulley system! Great how a simple machine can massively improve the impact of this product. Very cool.
Re: GravityLight: Generate light with gravity
#7This is wonderful. I plan to buy at least one for emergencies, and also to help make them cheaper for others.
A battery powered LED torch is far superior for emergencies. The only reason you'd really want to use this is if you really can't afford a solar-rechargable battery. (But for some reason can afford this, which I'd expect to be more expensive.)
Re: GravityLight: Generate light with gravity
#8There's a lot of reasons why this is cool, but I'm skeptical about it's aims to get rid of kerosene lamps.
Kerosene lamps are made with garbage. They can be replaced in minutes if there's a problem. Fuel costs are high, yes, but capital costs and maintenance are low. Those matter.
To really make this a long term win, you need to make it indestructible and easy to repair with on-hand parts. I hope they can do that.
Re: GravityLight: Generate light with gravity
#9You need to lift a 10KG weight about 2 kilometres to get a teaspoon of kerosene's energy, so it's not a great replacement on that front, and having 10KG weights dangling around at variable points between ceiling and floor sounds if anything even more of a liability than a lamp with a naked flame, which does at least stay where its put. Sorry to be negative but it's difficult to conceive of a realistic scenario where decent battery plus solar doesn't knock this into a cocked hat.
Re: GravityLight: Generate light with gravity
#10Here's what people said about it 3 years ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4889266
It's amazing the amount of people who immediately cry hoax. Someone raised a good point about taking money from locals and bringing it to Europe/America/China, but clearly this isn't breaking the law of physics.
The original OLPC attempted to ship a pull-cord generator. Trevor Bayliss, of Freeplay radio fame, proposed a generator based on hoisting a weight on a branch of a tree. The principle is sound.
As for taking money from locals, I would be surprised if kerosene was produced locally... and even if it was, this is a one-time expense, versus an ongoing outlay.