Bright Idea: Innovative Soccer Ball Doubles As Battery
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Two Harvard University graduates have helped create a soccer ball that does more than light up a scoreboard. The sOccket is a soccer ball
that stores the energy generated during normal game play for later
power needs. The ball can power a lamp or small electrical appliance,
which could fill a critical need in the developing world.
For
instance, an LED lamp can be plugged into the sOccket after the ball has
been played with, to provide light for reading and other activities
after dark in underdeveloped countries.
Inventors Jessica
Matthews and Julia Silverman, who met as undergraduates and worked
together on a group project that produced the concept of the sOccket,
made their ball with 95 percent recyclable materials to ensure a 15-year
lifespan. The soccer ball has earned numerous awards and won praise
from former president Bill Clinton.
Matthews and Silverman recently expanded their efforts by launching Uncharted Play, a zero-profit social enterprise focused on the development of fun products and services that address real-world problems. Through Uncharted Play, the two social entrepreneurs
have transformed the sOccket project from an exercise in innovative
design to a full-fledged effort to serve those in need worldwide.
In
September, a limited number of the energy-storing soccer balls will be
auctioned off to benefit resource-poor children around the world. For
every $50 increment that is bid on one of the sOcckets, another ball is
donated to a child in need.
This story was provided by BusinessNewsDaily, a sister site to InnovationNewsDaily.
