Pretty cool "lamp" using water and a soda bottle

[Fenixgoon]

Just read it on bbc - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23536914

pretty simply and brilliant, and i imagine could make quite a huge difference in the poorest areas of the world.

 

[DrPizza]

Eventually, they'll hear about that new-fangled stuff: windows.

It's exceptionally rare for a light to be on during the day in my house. That device doesn't work at night.

 

[Leros]

Eventually, they'll hear about that new-fangled stuff: windows.

It's exceptionally rare for a light to be on during the day in my house.

Glass is expensive. Windows only work near the wall, this would work for lighting areas not near a wall.

 

[BUTCH1]

Neat idea but since most homes in the US are not built like that it would be next to useless here.

 

[lxskllr]

Neat idea but since most homes in the US are not built like that it would be next to useless here.

I've had fiber optic spotlights in my head for awhile. Start them at the roof, and carry the light to where you need it. Would that work?

 

[DrPizza]

Glass is expensive. Windows only work near the wall, this would work for lighting areas not near a wall.

I forgot - the people in poor parts of the world have huge houses where a lot of rooms aren't near a wall. Glass can be manufactured incredibly cheaply. (Or to put it another way - I can go to a dollar store and get an 8x10 picture frame - with glass, for the same price as just about anything sold in those two-liter bottles.)

 

[lxskllr]

I forgot - the people in poor parts of the world have huge houses where a lot of rooms aren't near a wall. Glass can be manufactured incredibly cheaply.

People in poor parts of the world live packed close together, and light needs to be piped in. A window would give you a view of your neighbor's corrugated steel wall 2" away.

 

[dougp]

A lot of American ignorance in this thread and we're not at 10 posts ...

 

[DCal430]

I forgot - the people in poor parts of the world have huge houses where a lot of rooms aren't near a wall. Glass can be manufactured incredibly cheaply. (Or to put it another way - I can go to a dollar store and get an 8x10 picture frame - with glass, for the same price as just about anything sold in those two-liter bottles.)

Glass windows are very rare in a 3rd world country. Most homes have little to no windows and those that do just have a big hole, not glass.

 

[lozina]

In my crib I'd have them bottles filled with Courvoisier XO

 

[gevorg]

what if it rains?

 

[MrDudeMan]

People in poor parts of the world live packed close together, and light needs to be piped in. A window would give you a view of your neighbor's corrugated steel wall 2" away.

It would still let light in which is the whole point.

 

[lxskllr]

It would still let light in which is the whole point.

From a window? Not really. A window would give enough light to not trip over stuff, but not enough to do work.

 

[MrDudeMan]

From a window? Not really. A window would give enough light to not trip over stuff, but not enough to do work.

It either lets light in or it doesn't. The post you responded to didn't say anything about needing to work. It also depends what kind of work needs to be done if you're trying to determine whether or not the window would be sufficient.

 

[Jeff7]

A lot of American ignorance in this thread and we're not at 10 posts ...

It's an impoverished world, and many here, myself included, have only been on the inside of the gated community.


:\

 

[lxskllr]

It either lets light in or it doesn't. The post you responded to didn't say anything about needing to work. It also depends what kind of work needs to be done if you're trying to determine whether or not the window would be sufficient.

Christ, the entire point was houses packed close together don't let in enough light through windows. That's a fact where I live. If you live somewhere else where regular physics doesn't apply, then I guess you can argue with those people. Furthermore, The people actually using these devices find value in them. These aren't cavemen that never heard of magic clear walls. Windows weren't sufficient, and these devices allow them better lives at little cost.

 

[Leros]

I forgot - the people in poor parts of the world have huge houses where a lot of rooms aren't near a wall. Glass can be manufactured incredibly cheaply. (Or to put it another way - I can go to a dollar store and get an 8x10 picture frame - with glass, for the same price as just about anything sold in those two-liter bottles.)

I was thinking more along the lines of a large area like a workspace or warehouse.

No to mention...if you look at the houses in really poor areas, they're just sort of hobbled together from random scraps of wood and metal. They don't have windows. This requires making a hole in the roof and finding a bottle, which is feasible for somebody in that situation.

 

[manimal]

40-60 watts is really impressive.



I have been to the favelas in brazil, philipines, argentina, and electricity for many of the people is very expensive relative to their income.




If any of you have a water bottle and a phone on your desk hold the phone under the flat part of the water bottle in a completely dark room.

Boom instant flashlight that scatters alot more light than just the light from the phones screen or even the flashlight.

When my triplets were little I discovered this during a power outage when I had to change a ton of diapers in really low light. Was much easier to work.

 

[Alienwho]

I've lived in Brazil and the typical home doesn't have glass windows, it has shutters you can open and close with pure open air right into the house. The kinds of houses that would benefit from this idea are so close together that windows wouldn't do much good anyway. The houses often share walls. This is a great idea and I've personally seen countless locations where this would be useful.

 

[disappoint]

The lamps work best with a black cap - a film case can also be used

Why a black cap?

 

[Thebobo]

Why a black cap?

Looks cool?

 

[CPA]

Neat idea but since most homes in the US are not built like that it would be next to useless here.

Would be cool for an attic, since most attics only have one bulb installed. However, HOA isn't going to want a bunch of bottles sticking out of your roof.

 

[edro]

This hit the news about 10 years ago.
There was a video showing them being installed. They had to seal each bottle to the roof using roofing cement or tar.
Good idea.

The black cap might be UV resistant compared to the standard plastic cap.

 

[SearchMaster]

Would be cool for an attic, since most attics only have one bulb installed. However, HOA isn't going to want a bunch of bottles sticking out of your roof.

True, but most people don't go into their attics very often and when I do, I avoid doing so during daylight hours most of the year.

 

[slag]

Why a black cap?

Black attracts light.