Masters Student invents "Gravity Lamp"

I am a big fan of crank radios and other devices which harness renewable energy in practical ways. So, I was thrilled to see a masters student who harnessed the power of gravity to produce light.

The LED lamp, named Gravia, is an acrylic column a little more than 4 feet high. The entire column glows when activated by electricity generated by the slow, silent fall of a mass that spins a rotor.

The light output of 600-800 lumens lasts about four hours.

To "turn on" the lamp, the user moves weights from the bottom to the top of the lamp and into a mass sled near the top. The sled begins its gentle glide down and, within a few seconds, the LEDs are illuminated.

Here is hoping this invention is snapped up by the third world as a cheap and renewable way to produce light without oil or toxic batteries.