I'd like to begin my article today by posing the following question: If you had to name the one thing that most people share a love for, the world over — regardless of language, socioeconomic status, race, or geography — what would it be?
Futból, fussball, calcio, futebol, voetbol, soccer...
The most widely spread love affair in the world today is between man and the sport of soccer (or football, as it is referred to by the majority of the playing and spectator world).
The sport originated in China, where it was discovered by the English. It is now the de facto sport in 93 countries. A survey in 2001 by FIFA 2001 showed more than 240 million people play the sport of football in over 200 countries across almost every part of the globe.
Soccer currently boasts 208 member nations and thus is easily the world's richest sport. It also has the largest contingent of diehard fans, players and professional leagues in the world's largest economy, Europe. The FIFA World Cup is the largest and most lucrative sporting event in the world.
Now if you're like me, an American born and bred sports fan, you might find these statistics curious. I find myself within the cultural norm paying more attention to the NFL, college basketball, and Olympic Games every year than to our own national soccer league, the MLS.
That being said, the thought of the full stadium and the "Ole, ole, ole, ole!" chant after a goal might not resonate in your heart as it does for most of the world's population...
But I still have utmost respect for the tradition of soccer. In fact I played center midfield for 15 years.
And my respect for the sport is only going to grow with this latest innovation in green energy, one that combines electricity storage with the game of soccer: The ball has the ability to store energy for later use — to light an LED lamp, or charge a battery or cell phone.
Four Harvard students identified an energy problem that many developing nations face: kerosene burning is an inefficient — not to mention health-threatening and pollution-heavy — source of energy.
Some 190 million metric tons a year of carbon dioxide emissions are created in the burning of kerosene for lighting in developing nations. This is the equivalent of about 38 million automobiles.
The World Bank has estimated the health consequences of indoor kerosene burning to be equal to the effects of smoking two packs of cigarettes a day on the lungs, skin, and other internal organs of the exposed.
The founders of this innovation include Jessica Lin, Jessica Matthews, Julia Silverman and Hemali Thakkar, who were inspired by the energy capture of a dance floor via dancer's movement.
The team's idea was born during an assignment for a Harvard University Engineering Sciences course, "The Idea Translation Lab," where the four worked with their professor, teaching fellows, and other mentors to hatch out the concept and plan for the sOccket. They now await the patent for their invention.
The team's website explains their idea and mission:
Our innovation is the sOccket, a soccer ball with the capacity to harness the energy of interaction with the ball during game-play for later use as a power source. It is a portable energy-harvesting device in the form of a soccer ball that captures the impact energy normally dissipated when the ball is kicked, storing it to charge batteries and lights. This supplemental electricity can improve health and environment, and promote education and community building.
The sOccket will partner with local organizations in South Africa to establish programs to teach and organize play with the sOccket. Moreover, we plan to expand the sOccket to developed nations as a high-end tech toy, which will subsidize the price of the sOccket to developing nations.
"Soccer is something you will find in every African country," says Jessica Lin. "People play for hours a day, so we thought, ‘Why not try to get a little more out of that energy?' and that's where the idea ultimately came from."
So how does it work?
It's something similar to the flashlights that power up when they are shaken. Inductive coil technology allows every 15 minutes of play with the ball to generate enough power to light up an LED lamp for 3 hours.
That translates into an entire soccer game providing a day's worth of light.
Lin has a point. Soccer is found in nearly every nation, whether on grassy fields or dirt-packed lots with tires as goal posts. Unlike ice hockey, golf, or even basketball, for which hoops and a concrete court are necessary, soccer requires little to no equipment.
Many children in developing countries don't have shoes, shin guards, or even a soccer ball. And yet they play; and some grow up to be the faces we see scoring goals years later at the World Cup.
Lin goes on to say, "We've received some comments about how this ball isn't going to solve the energy problems of the developing world. And, of course, we realize that... We are trying to make a bigger statement about energy needs. Even if our project just starts people thinking about different ways to bring energy access to places like Africa, that's really important."
The group has been testing the ball in South Africa to gauge the children's interest and to assess the ball's performance during play. They hope to sell the ball in Western markets, though a "buy one-give one model" that has proven effective for other organizations, such as TOMS shoes. They would then use profits to distribute the balls at little-to-no cost for the countries where it is most needed.
They eventually aim to have a completed, patented version of sOccket available for distribution by the end of this year.
To check it out for yourself, visit http://www.soccket.com/.
I'll bet Pelé will be smiling down from soccer heaven when he gets wind of the latest development in his beloved sport...
Brigid
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