The Soccket

Though 25% of the world’s population may not have access to electricity, they all have access to a source of energy that is being wasted now — the energy released by their bodies when they exercise. Now, two Harvard students have figured out how to get the energy and turn it into electricity. The only equipment is called Soccket (Soccer + Socket). It was when Julia was in high school that she used to play sports and always had an idea. What if they were able to get some of the energy that is generated when playing sports and turn it into electricity? Considering its popularity among both the young and the old in African countries, soccer seems to be the natural sport of choice. Today, this idea has become the passion and life goal of the two young students, who, upon graduation, founded a non-profit company dedicated to improving the life of the poor in Africa. They hoped the Soccket would solve the problem of power shortages. It also offered people a chance to put their energy into soccer and get some energy in return. Just five ounces heavier than a normal soccer ball, the Soccket is able to store enough energy to power up an LED lamp for three hours, following just 15 minutes of play, and it can store up power for 24 hours’ use. The Soccket has the capacity of storing enough energy to power a reading lamp, a water purifier and even an emergency cellphone charger. While this may not seem much, it provides a great choice for people whose only sources of light are oil lamps, which generate smoke that is harmful to both humans and the environment. The two inventors even started a “buy one, give one” style programme that allows people in the developed countries to get their own Soccket, at the same time ensuring that another one will go to a kid in the poor areas.