Tag Archives: Sports Science

Creating Electricity – the FUN way

Around 1.3 billion people in the world lack  access to a reliable electricity source. What if there was a partial solution to this electricity scarcity? Soccket – a electricity producing soccer ball – is a new innovation that was founded in 2011. This soccer ball generates electricity by converting mechanical energy (from kicking or hitting the ball) into electrical energy.

President Obama kicks Soccket Source: DailyMail

President Obama kicks Soccket ball. Source: DailyMail

Soccer is the most inexpensive and popular sport enjoyed worldwide. All you need is a soccer ball whether it be a normal soccer ball or a ball made from straws. You just need a ball and some markers down for goal posts to play.

Soccket is just like any soccer ball except for its high technology. Soccket weighs 17 ounces (1 ounce heavier than a normal soccer ball) and it is embedded with high-coiled sensors that convert energy. A plug is located on the outside for LED lamps or for charging mobile phones. It is estimated that 30 minutes of playing soccer with Soccket can result in up to 3 hours of power for a LED lamp.

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Kids playing soccer. Source: pixabay

Kids playing soccer. Source: pixabay

In underdeveloped countries, having an off-grid power source, as they mention, is very rare. With the help of Soccket, kids will be able to bring home a light source to help them with their homework, or to read a book at night. The future plan is to distribute Soccket balls to schools so that kids can play and have fun, while generating electricity at the same time.

The project has now expanded to making jump ropes that generate up to 2 hours of electricity with 15 minutes of jumping (about 4 times more efficient than Soccket). With advancing technology and research, the world can enjoy creating energy.

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– Tommy Kim