Battery-free lamp for developing nations is powered by gravity

The GravityLight provides cheap, safe and environmentally-friendly light for areas with poor electricity access.

In areas with poor access to electricity, many people rely on dangerous kerosene lamps once night falls. The Nokero solar-powered light is one solution that is aiming to deal with the problem, and now deciwatt.org’s GravityLight joins it in providing cheap, safe and environmentally-friendly light for developing nations. While solar panels can be expensive and rely on sunlight and batteries to work, the GravityLight requires neither. The device is connected to a bag that can be filled with sand – or other weight – and is able to convert the energy when the weight is lifted. For example, raising the weight for three seconds provides enough energy for 30 minutes of light. Due to the lack of batteries, there are no costs after the initial investment, and there are zero waste products and no deteriorating parts. Part of London-based design firm therefore.com, deciwatt.org recently surpassed its target funding for the production of 1,000 lamps on Indiegogo. The following video explains more about the project: Considering that – according to the developers – over 1.5 billion people in the world have no reliable access to mains electricity, the GravityLight could make a huge difference.