Developed to address the problem of bringing light to remote parts of the developing world, GravityLight is simply charged by a bag that is filled with around 9kg of material and hung from a cord below the light.
As the bag descends, a series of gears inside the device translates this weight into energy, providing 30 minutes of light.
The light strength can be adjusted, from strong task lighting to a longer-lasting low-level glow, and two terminals on the front allow it to be used as a generator so it can recharge other devices including radios and batteries.
The project was developed in 2012 and it originally emerged from a brief by charity Solar Aid to come up with a low-cost light source as an alternative to the ubiquitous kerosene lamps that provide the main source of light across the developing world – but which come with their own set of health problems.
Martin Riddiford and Jim Reeves, who are London-based designers decided to work on a light source that operates on the stuff that surrounds you like earth, rocks or sand with the helping hand of gravity.
Last year, they conducted trials with over 1300 families globally.
The company is now working on GLO2, which is a second prototype, made specifically for Africa with improvements like
- Instant light, any time
- No sun or batteries needed
- With GravityLight all you need is a weight.
They are looking at setting up an assembly plant in Kenya, and have started an indiegogo campaign for that purpose.
