Body Heat as Power Source – the Lumen Flashlight

Many of the modern technological inventions/developments are, so to speak, useless, or serve luxurious purposes, and are made without much consideration for their impact on the environment. However, there are exceptions such as the Lumen flashlight, which works without the need of a battery. Therefore it doesn’t threaten the environment by producing hazardous waste. It is almost unbelievable, that this flashlight can power a LED by using body heat and transforming it into electricity.

To be more precise, when we touch the Lumen’s thermoelectric generator (a small ceramic bar) it produces a flow of electric charge as a result of the temperature difference between your body and the environment. In case this difference is larger, the energy in plus gets stored in an internal capacitor.

The flashlight uses a 5mm ultrabright CREE LED with 3000 mCd light output, and it is available in two kinds of material: Titanium and Aluminium. Besides, it has an extra cool-factor, because it can be ordered with phosphorescent tritium vial, so that you can find the flashlight in darkness.

All in all, the Lumen flashlight might not provide the brightest, most intense light, but this disadvantage is compensated by the fact, that this flashlight will surely not let you down in the ‘darkest’ moments of your life.

In addition, the mere idea of creating electric power by the heat of your body might trigger some brainstorming session about how this idea could be developed further in bigger projects.

See it on Kickstarter