sOccket Project Proposal

For my semester long project, I have one personal goal. This goal is to make a tangible difference. I want to make a change that produces a physical result.

Through some research i have found a very interesting idea from students from Harvard. Their idea is to generate electricity through the movement of a soccer ball, specifically named the sOccket. The sOccket is primarily aimed at the needs of children in developing countries. In one statistic, 25% of the world’s children do not have consistent access to electricity. This solution is not meant to satisfy all of the developing world’s electricity needs, but it can give access where there previously was not. This technology is also surprisingly efficient. It can generate enough electricity to power an LED light for 3 hours.

I have been pondering whether an idea like this can make a difference, and I believe it can. With three hours of light, children can possibly read a book while it is dark out, furthering his or her education. Another possible application is to charge batteries that are used in small electric devices like cell phones, thus making long distance communication easier. One idea I have seen tossed around is using the electricity generated to power a water purification device. All three of these possibilities seem like very positive enhancements to the life of children around the world.

At this stage in the project, I’m focused on finding a group to distribute the sOccket to places where it could be used.

http://www.soccket.com/