Have you ever been in desperate need of a flashlight just to pick one and realize the battery is dead ? Thanks to the 15 - year -old Canadian Ann Makosinski , you may need just as soon as the strength of your hand .
The thermoelectric effect is when a small amount of electricity can be harvested as flow between the cool and hot sides of the material electrons . When Ann found 57 milliwatts be generated from the palm of the person and the requirement is only about half a milliwatt LED light , he knew something. Ann Peltier tiles bought off eBay and then proceeded to mount the tiles and circuitry in a hollow aluminum tube .
How It Works
Are already present in the hollow aluminum tube is responsible for cooling the Peltier tiles , while at the same time the hand on the other side of the flashlight provides heat for the thermoelectric effect . With an ambient temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit , a gentle light is produced and maintained for approximately half an hour . The light varies depending on the temperature but for a prototype , the young Ann Makosinski has developed an invention that could revolutionize flash light .