Potable Lights – What makes them work?

Potable light refers to a source of lighting that can be moved from one place to another. Carrying a flashlight is the simplest example of a potable light. However there is a major drawback to the flashlight : it won’t work once the battery runs out. This makes it unsuitable to take out in the field for long periods of time.

Here are some other kinds of potable lights which tend to fare better. The Boston-based architecture firm KVA MATx launched a Potable Light project in which they provide a kit that allows you to design your own light. The kit includes a textile reflector, a photovoltaic material, a battery case with a USB port and an LED light. The flexible photovoltaic cells can be woven into a fabric. Now you can use the fabric in any way you like to harvest the solar power. Once the battery is charged it will provide 20 hours of light.

In case sunlight is not quite so easy to access, you can use gravity to power your potable light. The GravityLight as it is called, uses solar as backup rather than a primary energy source. How it works is that  a ballast bag  is filled with rocks, sand or soil, and hung from the lamp to create energy, lighting the GravityLight for 30 minutes. You can recharge it using a built-in solar panel.

The GravityLight is currently in testing but will be available later in 2014 for $5 a light! That will be a tough science project to beat!