Most of us living the mantra “work hard, play hard”, are constantly releasing kinetic energy. Here at 12A Funston you might see Devon bolt out the door around one o’clock, just in time to run off some steam and avoid a mid-afternoon melt down, Gordon hurriedly strap on his boots to cycle up to Marin in time for rugby practice, or me stumble in late, salty from the surf or trails. Imagine if we could harness all this energy, or a fraction of it, and make it work in return? Enter the sOccket.
The sOccket is the brainchild of four female Harvard engineering graduates/undergrads that have joined forces to create a soccer ball that captures the energy you exert from kicking, dribbling, and throwing during play and stores it for later use. Currently in the prototyping stages, the sOccket is being developed to supply people indeveloping nations a “cheap, clean, simple, off-grid energy solution that is available for immediate use”. Not only will the sOccket alleviate the need for people living in rural areas to walk for hours to charge their cell phones, but this sort of clean power has the potential to reduce the need for kerosene lamps that more than 1 billion people rely on to light their homes. Kerosene accounts for more respiratory infections and child deaths than AIDS or malaria in developing nations, thus sOccket is a life saver as well!
Clearly the sOccket could be a widely impacting invention, but it will also offer well-off consumers an opportunity to buy or donate a commodity that will be appreciated by people everywhere. As the ‘Hahvid’ kids get the beta version rolled out for the children who really need it, everyone should know that they do plan on creating a high-end sOccket for purchase in the U.S. and Europe. My guess is that some of the proceeds will go to distributing more of them where they are needed; so keep your juggling skills sharp and wait for more buzz on the sOccket.
All That's Fit 