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Ben salutes teen who invented new flashlight.

3/27/2014

 
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Some time ago, in this very blog, I asked whether there were still any new things that could be invented in this amazing future world of the 21st century, which already seems to have everything imaginable under the sun.

Today, I just learned there is – and it was invented by a 16-year-old in Canada!

Ann Makosinski, of Victoria, Canada, has created a device that is near and dear to my own heart, since it is another ingenious use of electricity, which I experimented with back in the 1700s.  Ann invented a flashlight powered solely by the warmth of the human body!

Some are even calling it “the flashlight that could change the world!”

Ann said her inspiration for the project was a friend in the Phillippines, who was failing school because she couldn’t complete her homework – simply because they had no electricity for lighting their home. 

So Ann came up with an innovative hollow-core flashlight for her friend, that shines as long as you hold on to it.  And it’s powered by thermoelectric technology!

Her invention was so groundbreaking, she earned recognition at the Google 2013 Science Fair – as the top winner in her age group, she received a $25,000 scholarship, a trophy made out of Legos, and a visit to the Lego headquarters in Denmark.

I applaud Ann not only for her ingenuity, but also for her doing this out of a sincere desire to help people.  As I’ve always said, “the noblest question in the world is, ‘what good can I do in it?’”

Your humble servant,
B.Franklin


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    Writer, diplomat, scientist, philanthropist, printer, inventor, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America...and a time traveler, too!

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