Gravity Light! - A Little Mechanical Wizardry Can Give Light To Those Without Power - Polidicks

[IMG]http://lz-cdn-n.xgodev.com/archive/_cache/_1180443_5_aa77c9a05042b51c244c77420f0ddf37.jpg[/IMG] [QUOTE]In the vast majority of developing countries without electricity, kerosene lamps are the go-to for seeing in the dark. But kerosene doesn’t burn cleanly and an accidentally knocked-over open flame can quickly set a house ablaze. The [URL="http://gravitylight.org/"]GravityLight[/URL] team have created something special—a lamp that only needs gravity to work. No harmful energy sources, and it's safe and reusable. The mechanics are quite simple. The lamp works on a pulley system: A maximum 11 kilogram (24 pound) weight is hoisted up with a beaded cord. Once the weight reaches the top of the pulley, the user can let go, allowing the weight to slowly descend. As it drops, the bead cord passes through a connected train that lights a bright LED. And once the weight hits the floor, the process can be repeated. The entire cycle lasts 20-30 minutes.[/QUOTE] [URL="http://www.iflscience.com/technology/lamp-doesnt-need-batteries-fuel-or-even-sun"]Source[/URL] Simple concept that's elegantly brilliant (Just step up the speed of the pulley with some gears, apply it to a small generator and boom.)

gravity and EM fluctuation is actually 24/7 source ... not bad idea

So, a rev up dynamo that lights the lamp up.

[QUOTE=Dwarden;47841101]gravity and EM fluctuation is actually 24/7 source ... not bad idea[/QUOTE] Couldn't something with magnets like this be made? I mean, I've observed that same poles tend to "bounce" if you drop one on top of each other. Or will they reach some kind of "stability"?

I have an emergency lantern that works on a similar priciple, but with a slowly unwound torsion spring instead of a slowly decending weight, really cool princple, and its nice not to have to wind it every 2 minutes like a dynamo light.

[QUOTE=Cutthecrap;47841267]Couldn't something with magnets like this be made? I mean, I've observed that same poles tend to "bounce" if you drop one on top of each other. Or will they reach some kind of "stability"?[/QUOTE] If constrained they will reach a "stability" due to them not being able to move freely(I made something like this as a magnetic spring of sorts out of ceramic bar magnets and some plastic). If left to their own devices, they will attempt to orient themselves in a manner that allows them to attract each other properly and become stable in that manner. Both forms of stability would be pretty useless for power generation, due to they have no energy change or movement except for outside forces.

So, what's stopping this from actually being a viable power source on a larger scale? Maybe I'm just stoned, but I'm imagining a giant, industrialized version of this, with multiple turbines (similar to that of a hydroelectric dam) being driven by massive, slow falling weights, and when one weight finally reaches the bottom, another weight is added to the other end and the process is reversed. It would be a basically endless power supply minus the power required to run it, which I'd think would be fairly minimal. I'd love to see what something like that could do compared to more conventional methods. idk, coolass light though. I wouldn't want to deprive the needier but I would totally buy one of those for camping.

[QUOTE=mugofdoom;47841343]It would be a basically endless power supply minus the power required to run it, which I'd think would be fairly minimal.[/QUOTE] No it wouldn't, the power to run it would be exactly the same as the power output.

[QUOTE=mugofdoom;47841343]So, what's stopping this from actually being a viable power source on a larger scale? Maybe I'm just stoned, but I'm imagining a giant, industrialized version of this, with multiple turbines (similar to that of a hydroelectric dam) being driven by massive, slow falling weights, and when one weight finally reaches the bottom, another weight is added to the other end and the process is reversed. It would be a basically endless power supply minus the power required to run it, which I'd think would be fairly minimal. I'd love to see what something like that could do compared to more conventional methods. idk, coolass light though. I wouldn't want to deprive the needier but I would totally buy one of those for camping.[/QUOTE] You need to get the weights to the top, which will always require at least the same amount of energy as they generate going down.

[QUOTE=mugofdoom;47841343]So, what's stopping this from actually being a viable power source on a larger scale? Maybe I'm just stoned, but I'm imagining a giant, industrialized version of this, with multiple turbines (similar to that of a hydroelectric dam) being driven by massive, slow falling weights, and when one weight finally reaches the bottom, another weight is added to the other end and the process is reversed. It would be a basically endless power supply minus the power required to run it, which I'd think would be fairly minimal. I'd love to see what something like that could do compared to more conventional methods. idk, coolass light though. I wouldn't want to deprive the needier but I would totally buy one of those for camping.[/QUOTE] You would need the same amount of energy to have the other weight added on. fuck ninjad

[QUOTE=LarparNar;47841359]You need to get the weights to the top, which will always require at least the same amount of energy as they generate going down.[/QUOTE] True, that's a pretty massive hole in the whole idea. Oh well, it was worth it just for the mental image of giant, planet-stomping power plants smashing weights into the Earth so civilization can watch internet porn or reruns of Family Guy.

[QUOTE=mugofdoom;47841343]So, what's stopping this from actually being a viable power source on a larger scale? Maybe I'm just stoned, but I'm imagining a giant, industrialized version of this, with multiple turbines (similar to that of a hydroelectric dam) being driven by massive, slow falling weights, and when one weight finally reaches the bottom, another weight is added to the other end and the process is reversed. It would be a basically endless power supply minus the power required to run it, which I'd think would be fairly minimal. I'd love to see what something like that could do compared to more conventional methods. idk, coolass light though. I wouldn't want to deprive the needier but I would totally buy one of those for camping.[/QUOTE] Hydroelectric dams are precisely working on this principle. They just harvest the energy that the Sun put into water to make it evaporate and rain down into the rivers and onto the dam's turbines. After all, all energy on Earth comes from the Sun, even geothermal and fossil fuels. It's just about when that energy got stored and how.

[QUOTE=Drury;47841418]Hydroelectric dams are precisely working on this principle. They just harvest the energy that the Sun put into water to make it evaporate and rain down into the rivers and onto the dam's turbines. After all, all energy on Earth comes from the Sun, even geothermal and fossil fuels. It's just about when that energy got stored and how.[/QUOTE] Well I'm not sure about geothermal.

[QUOTE=Drury;47841418]Hydroelectric dams are precisely working on this principle. They just harvest the energy that the Sun put into water to make it evaporate and rain down into the rivers and onto the dam's turbines. After all, all energy on Earth comes from the Sun, even geothermal and fossil fuels. It's just about when that energy got stored and how.[/QUOTE] I'm fairly certain that geothermic energy doesn't come from the sun, neither does radioactive decay from the materials of the Earth's formation. It's a very small percentage, but the Earth does have stored energy from things other than the sun.

[QUOTE=Gbps;47841538]I'm fairly certain that geothermic energy doesn't come from the sun, neither does radioactive decay from the materials of the Earth's formation. It's a very small percentage, but the Earth does have stored energy from things other than the sun.[/QUOTE] well, if it doesn't come from our sun it comes from other suns

fucking ingenious, i love it!

This invention basically converts muscle power to electric power. Kind of like a bicycle generator, except low-power and you only have to tend to it once in a while.

[QUOTE=Drury;47841418]Hydroelectric dams are precisely working on this principle. They just harvest the energy that the Sun put into water to make it evaporate and rain down into the rivers and onto the dam's turbines. After all, all energy on Earth comes from the Sun, even geothermal and fossil fuels. It's just about when that energy got stored and how.[/QUOTE] All energy on earth does not come from the sun, just most of the easily accessible ones. Geothermal energy derives from the leftover energy inside the earth from its formation and from radioactive decay. I suppose that this device does in a pretty convoluted way harvest energy from the sun, but as many other people have said it does that by converting muscle power to electricity. It isnt anything new or amazing, its just a convenient and mass producible application for the technology.

Nice, however, I wonder how much does the device lasts before it wears out and becomes useless

This is pretty old technology. A lot of clocks used to work on this principle.

[QUOTE=V12US;47842589]This is pretty old technology. A lot of clocks used to work on this principle.[/QUOTE] Invention isn't always about having a completely new idea; sometimes it's just about taking existing concepts and combining them in even a slightly different way to have a new result.

[QUOTE=mugofdoom;47841343]So, what's stopping this from actually being a viable power source on a larger scale? Maybe I'm just stoned, but I'm imagining a giant, industrialized version of this, with multiple turbines (similar to that of a hydroelectric dam) being driven by massive, slow falling weights, and when one weight finally reaches the bottom, another weight is added to the other end and the process is reversed. It would be a basically endless power supply minus the power required to run it, which I'd think would be fairly minimal. I'd love to see what something like that could do compared to more conventional methods. idk, coolass light though. I wouldn't want to deprive the needier but I would totally buy one of those for camping.[/QUOTE] Would require more energy than it produces. But theres one condition where this might work: as a load following power plant, which hoists the weights up during night when energy is cheap and converts them back to electricity during daytime when energy is expensive. [editline]31st May 2015[/editline] Or as peakers...

wow this makes so much sense especially now with LEDs that take up so little power

[QUOTE=mugofdoom;47841343]So, what's stopping this from actually being a viable power source on a larger scale? Maybe I'm just stoned, but I'm imagining a giant, industrialized version of this, with multiple turbines (similar to that of a hydroelectric dam) being driven by massive, slow falling weights, and when one weight finally reaches the bottom, another weight is added to the other end and the process is reversed. It would be a basically endless power supply minus the power required to run it, which I'd think would be fairly minimal. I'd love to see what something like that could do compared to more conventional methods. idk, coolass light though. I wouldn't want to deprive the needier but I would totally buy one of those for camping.[/QUOTE] You're thinking of [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumped-storage_hydroelectricity"]Pumped-storage hydroelectricity[/URL]. Water is pumped up into a dam/artificial lake overnight when electricity is cheap and then let down to generate electricity during peak times when electricity is expensive.

[QUOTE=DaMastez;47842638]Invention isn't always about having a completely new idea; sometimes it's just about taking existing concepts and combining them in even a slightly different way to have a new result.[/QUOTE] You are thinking about innovation. Something can be an invention without being successful or particularly useful. An innovation has to be both.

[QUOTE=oskutin;47842959]Would require more energy than it produces. But theres one condition where this might work: as a load following power plant, which hoists the weights up during night when energy is cheap and converts them back to electricity during daytime when energy is expensive. [editline]31st May 2015[/editline] Or as peakers...[/QUOTE] So like a flywheel but with gravity instead of gyroscopic momentum?

[QUOTE=oskutin;47842959]Would require more energy than it produces. But theres one condition where this might work: as a load following power plant, which hoists the weights up during night when energy is cheap and converts them back to electricity during daytime when energy is expensive. [editline]31st May 2015[/editline] Or as peakers...[/QUOTE] Might as well store the cheap juice in accumulators at night and release it during daytime. Capitalism at it's finest.

[QUOTE=mugofdoom;47841343]So, what's stopping this from actually being a viable power source on a larger scale? Maybe I'm just stoned, but I'm imagining a giant, industrialized version of this, with multiple turbines (similar to that of a hydroelectric dam) being driven by massive, slow falling weights, and when one weight finally reaches the bottom, another weight is added to the other end and the process is reversed. It would be a basically endless power supply minus the power required to run it, which I'd think would be fairly minimal. I'd love to see what something like that could do compared to more conventional methods. idk, coolass light though. I wouldn't want to deprive the needier but I would totally buy one of those for camping.[/QUOTE] The energy needed to bring said weight up is the same you'd get out of the system. Unless you'd use some natural energy source like water flow...in which case you just throw a turbine into the water without bothering about it. The benefit of a small system is mostly in the fact, that light is an energy output that's not that simple to get. And 11kilos aren't too much to lift twice an hour for a human in need of light.