SALt LED lamp can provide light in the most remote places using only a glass of salt water.
In many parts of the world, the most simplest of gadgets can make the biggest difference. Projects, such as the WakaWaka lights, and the similar initiatives in Haiti are already providing more than enough evidence for that.
This is most likely the reason why any simple gadget that needs the most basic of resources to provide energy, or light, in an eco-friendly and healthy way, always attracts huge interest.
One such device is the new SALt (Sustainable Alternative Lighting) lamp, which runs on water and salt (or saltwater from the sea). Developed by the enthusiastic engineer and Greenpeace volunteer- Aisa Mijeno, SALt is particularly designed to help people in remote areas, where deadly kerosene lamps burn all night long, poisoning the household members, rather than helping them.
The inspiration for the SALt lamp came to Mijeno after spending some time with local Filipino tribes on the islands of the Philippines. There she observed the huge need of a simple gadget that can allow the local people perform their everyday tasks after dark without having to put their lives and the lives of their families at risk.
Mijeno decided to look into the most abundant of resources on the islands- saltwater, and try to utilize it into an eco-friendly plug-free light source. This is how SALt was born.
The principal behind the lamp is similar to what I showed you some time ago with the DIY water-powered flashlight. It relies on a galvanic cell battery, which contains salty water, and two electrodes. Because of the simplicity of the gadget, it can provide only up to eight hours of light, and the anodes will need to be replaced every six months. It all might seem like a relatively short time-spam, however in remote areas, it will save lives.
The final product, which is also expected to be able to charge mobile phones through an USB outlet, should hit the market in 2016 (price t.b.a). However, the makers hope to be able to bring 600 SALt lamps to Filipino tribes a lot earlier than that.
Image (c) SALt
