Turning Gravity Into Light - Smarter Every Day 146

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SmarterEveryDay
THIS IS GENIUS. Why haven't we figured this out before? Whenever I go to Africa and South America I always make sure to pack a ridiculous amount of batteries. People always ask me for them because batteries which you purchase in country are horrible. This blending of an ancient technology with a new technology is a game changer, and as a mechanical engineer, I find it to be super exciting.
For those wondering, the units are just under $10, so the payback for a family in a developing nation should end up being about 3 months. This effectively eliminates the kerosene lighting poverty trap that millions of people fall into. I absolutely love it when engineering innovation solves an economic and environmental issue.
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Warm Regards,
Destin
Psalm 111:2

[@caleblimb3275]

Turning heavy into light.

[@BBBuilds12]

Hey, who turned on the heavy?

[@Metroyeti17]

+BBBuilds12 Your mom.

[@MuadDib1402]

+Caleb Limb There's that word again! Heavy! Why are things so heavy in the future, is there a problem with the Earth's gravitational pull?

[@LeastComicStanding]

+Caleb Limb Yeah, it's not turning gravity into anything, it's turning the force/effort used to lift the heavy object up off the ground into depreciated power output over time...

[@john_titor1]

+LeastComicStanding So, it's just turning gravitational force into light.

[@rodrigoappendino]

Stop wasting gravity.

[@fluteplayerify]

+Rodrigo Appendino ha ha ha. Just tell anyone you don't like to go stand in a gravity powered generator so at least their existence will produce something... :P

[@airsoftjock]

lmao

[@pbldiaz28]

this is my favorite comment in a long while, thanks :)

[@rodrigoappendino]

Gravity 2015: 9,8 m/s² 2115: 5,6 m/s²

[@ZiCell]

Exactly, children in Africa could've eaten that gravity.

[@DanMDL]

back in the 2019 they thought gravity was infinite... here we are now.. floating around. It all started with this lamp

[@ernop350]

Daniel De Lauretis this commet is golden 😂

[@KryptonKr]

Daniel De Lauretis They HAD to monopolised everything including gravity

[@SJ-nv6vy]

Lmao

[@sajjadjafari2612]

I'd say it does not work with gravity, It works by the force and energy we put in the weights when we lif them up and hook them.

[@amaze2n]

@@sajjadjafari2612 yes, that's where the energy comes from. You're transforming your calories into gravitational potential energy by lifting the weights up, which then becomes kinetic energy as the weight falls, driving a motor producing electrical energy, that then runs through an LED to produce light. Pretty darn neat.

[@4pharaoh]

Brilliant! The most impressive part is subtle. The LEDs are shunt voltage limiters, so at a certain point they want to draw excessive current. Start to approach that higher current and the extra load makes the motor/generator harder to turn, and that is like pinching the last high speed gear - it wants to stop. A super simple electo-mechanical governor. Love it.

[@vincent21212]

but I imagine there is a heavy enough gravity load that could be applied that would blast through the resistance of the motor, right?

[@4pharaoh]

@@vincent21212 sort off.. the motor (generator really) wants to stop because the high current makes it very hard to turn, but if it stops turning, it produces no current and if it produces no current, the led would not be a load and the generator would be free to turn, so it automatically finds its "sweet spot" for a particular LED load. If the led was removed it would fall as fast as its mechanical resistance would allow. If the led was shorted the fall of the gravity load would be slowest. In every case, the motor always turns. Very Cool design. I hope some philanthropist looking for a tax write off starts sending them out to where they are most needed.

[@heavenleigh1564]

pfff I was just gonna say that ...;)

[@hopelessnerd6677]

Physics is cool! The only weak link in that system is the belt. I made my living changing belts like that. They turn into chewing gum in a few years.

[@Ryan-lk4pu]

Thanks for this explanation but I can't quite wrap my head around how the voltage limit of an LED makes the motor turn more slowly? I do some very very basic (electronic) prototyping and if I don't add a resistor, the LED will draw power until it burns out. Do you have any sources I can use to learn how your explanation works?

[@awaken6760]

Things like this restore my faith in humanity, but then I turn on the news and it quickly goes away.

[@varlunmulland3992]

+Awaken the Evil That's why I quit watching the news. Ignore it and it effectively doesn't exist. Nothing they ever talk about on the news ACTUALLY matters, anyway.

[@pranamd1]

+Awaken the Evil The solution is simple: don't turn on the news.

[@lazyboy1060]

+Awaken the Evil Don't watch the news (Y)

[@lazyboy1060]

Just follow some news outlets, not fox news and the likes, who just put out what people want to hear, why do you think they have hot woman reporting all the time lol IF you follow them on Facebook or wherever you can click on the article if you want to read it

[@SirCutRy]

+Awaken the Evil There is actually less violence than in past times.

[@ambrous]

the light is not exactly powered by gravity. It is powered by your muscle when you raise the weight. The falling weight is just a store of energy that was created by the person

[@alexbuckley5305]

+ambrous shut uuuuuuup

[@andrewrowe4897]

+ambrous Well TECHNICALLY muscles are made of star stuff, and the sun is a star, so really it's solar powered. :)

[@yousefaiman4932]

+ambrous but if there wasn't any gravity it wouldn't fall and it wouldn't create any power to power the light so gravity wins (gravity falls to be more accurate )

[@jonathanquarles8604]

+ambrous thanks i was actually a bit confused

[@socialmonster4318]

yes it is the potential energy

[@tmcmahon2668]

I love how their faces lit up for a split second when you said "that's genius"

[@TwiWriteFlare]

Turning compliments into light!

[@Odi7]

They didn't invent the gravity light: it was made the same way for third world issues, the same way (with a Brick hanging and a normal bulb, running 1hour before reset). The third world 8nvention was meant to be sold for 15 Dollars. Chheeers

[@Odi7]

They didn't invent the gravity light: it was made the same way for third world issues, the same way (with a Brick hanging and a normal bulb, running 1hour before reset). The third world 8nvention was meant to be sold for 15 Dollars. Chheeers

[@vitor900000]

We have being turning gravity into light for years in hydro plants...

[@vitor900000]

@yeah I'm John Assal Well Solar Fusion only exists because gravity exists so...

[@vitor900000]

@yeah I'm John Assal Haha

[@ORagnar]

Even so, little devices like this make for a nice, practical invention. Maybe with a big enough gravity load (weight) we could create a nice general-purpose generator.

[@Ian-ie3hy]

@@ORagnar i dont think its scaleability is practical.

[@footlong7980]

@@Ian-ie3hy Maybe it can work as a light house of sorts...

[@doombringer6s]

Jim had me at 3:22 with the way he held his mug :D

[@smartereveryday]

+doombringer6s I'm convinced he's a modern day wizard.

[@doombringer6s]

+SmarterEveryDay And wizards like him become harder and harder to come by these days. The more i see your videos, the more make me want to delve into science more , but im so used to my artistic vein that i cant get over their differences. Please advise xD

[@xNightW0lfx]

+SmarterEveryDay He's what I imagine young Sirius Black to look like.

[@julienfoss1392]

+doombringer6s lol didnt notice that

[@Volvary]

+doombringer6s Crawlspace habits? I guess with the layout of the shop, he probably got that habit after bumping in others a few times, spilling the content of his mug everywhere. By walking with his mug behind his back, he increases the time he has before bumping in someone as well as reduce the movement of the mug by the factor of energy transfer not reaching fully down his arms, reducing spillage. (Sorry if that doesn't make much sense, I'm not sure how to word it correctly for it to actually make sense.)

[@PureGonzo]

I'm smarter than yesterday.

[@MarCuseus]

"older and wiser"

[@quarkyquasar893]

Older yet none the wiser in my case.... ;-;

[@justAguyDs]

+Red Sniper same with most people, don't worry

[@mfxdraws]

And one day closer to dying ;-;

[@quarkyquasar893]

Future FG Gaming Yep, you are wiser.

[@hasangarmarudi2178]

You thought it was gravity, but it was me, muscle power!

[@DepletedLithium]

Yeah I was thinking about that

[@kshitizdewani3786]

*I'm so poor that I don't have access to gravity.*

[@doncarlodivargas5497]

Work as we do and you can afford gravity

[@Ganesha900]

You must be in outer space, or if its a play with words, not have a conscience!

[@CuongNguyen-le5ic]

Shut up Space Dweller, go to Mars for cheap gravity since you probably can't afford high gravity here.

[@kshitizdewani3786]

@@Ganesha900 I would accept the latter.

[@hydragons]

@@wazza33racer That is not the answer sir. Create your own conscience is the solution. Good luck integrating with it.

[@JonWrightt]

It's amazing how simple this is, yet only just been developed. Got to love engineering!

[@lmeza1983]

+TheRecreationProject it is not that simple, these gears needed some serious calculations and the manufacturing process might be expensive so you need millions of customers to make it affordable taking into account the main objective is to provide underdeveloped countries like Africa with this product.

[@Doost311]

+Luis Fernando They didn't need serious calculation. They required the same level of calculation that you would perform in any base level physics course at a university. The process mimics that of old grandfather clocks. Would it take time to perform the calculations, yes. Are the calculations difficult or highly advanced, not as much.

[@smartereveryday]

+TheRecreationProject I know right? It seems like this would have been low hanging fruit.. something we did ages ago!

[@rangers8905]

+SmarterEveryDay Why hasn't it then? The only thing I can think of is that LEDs are relatively new and other light bulbs wouldn't have been very practical.

[@GamesFromSpace]

+Steve Balsamo Because most people have access to batteries and the electrical grid. Batteries are far more convenient (and mobile!), and the electrical grid is far more convenient, cheaper, and powerful.

[@karmakazi219]

Great video! But I feel like you failed to explain why/how an LED light can prevent the generator from moving regardless of how much weight is applied. That seems like the most fundamental part of this invention!

[@smartereveryday]

+karmakazi219 There's a video that explains that which will be uploaded to the shell channel shortly

[@karmakazi219]

+SmarterEveryDay The Shell Oil channel? Interesting. Thank you!

[@Squeaky_Ben]

In short: A LED has a sufficient resistance so the motor doesnt get shorted. As soon as the voltage of the motor gets too high (happens when it goes faster), the LED loses resistance and is therefore getting closer to a short. Now, you have to know that a generator that is shorted will stop immediatly. in this case, it will just be like braking a car. it limits the speed at which it can go.

[@doktormcnasty]

You're not explaining how or why a generator that is shorted 'will stop immediately' therefore I'm no closer to understanding the answer to the question than before you made that reply.

[@Squeaky_Ben]

***** In short, it works like a watermill: If you hang something up to it, as in an actual load, it spins slower. Now, a short circuit is the equivalent of trying to power a huge city from a small little river that is hardly half a foot deep. It simply will never spin. To explain how the generator works: Electricity is generated by a magnetic field that is spinning around copper coils. The magnetic field that the copper itself generates (which increases the higher the current is you pull from it) counteracts the spinning motion. So, a short circuit (which means maximum current) will simply stop the generator. The LED is not a short circuit though, so it will simply counteract its motion just enough for the LED.

[@balbeersinghnagi7600]

Wow, what a simple idea and not converted for use by masses. Good on you and keep up the good work.

[@MrHimanshun]

_Exactly, precisely, Exactly_

[@rbrtck]

Precisely. ;)

[@manupillai308]

Absolutely 🤣

[@p3el_]

Indeed

[@sweetmouse9870]

turning your cap around to reveal the headlamp cracked me up it was so slick and so dorky at the same time

[@KillerSmadyZack]

"Click here to see how Shell used to drill arctic for oil and now tries to look good saying they support renewable energy"

[@Fiiischinator]

*says the consumer.

[@KillerSmadyZack]

i like bathing in oil

[@jpeg1991]

+Smadonno "...Whilst still drilling for oil in the arctic".

[@AndrewBrownK]

+Smadonno Shell and any other company should be given the opportunity to explore new and more ethical paths, like this gravity light. They shouldn't be dismissed as irredeemable just because they are in oil right now.

[@MichaelEdmond]

+Tristan Patterson actually you can live on 100% renewable... and its not that much more expensive, a home can easily run on renewable... in fact my electricity and gas only come from renewable sources.

[@axemeagain2554]

This is Amazing! Great job thinking outside the box GravityLight! You just helped persons save goods or money on fuel costs, helped preserve the health of their lungs, and possibly their eyes as well.. and... helped a family with getting homework/sewing/other housework things needing done after sundown! Proud of you guys!

[@p.as.in.pterodactyl1024]

You have so many great videos! I can't stress that enough, not even with bold, italics, exclamation marks, and all caps! Thank you!

[@KiddsockTV]

This would be a neat item to even charge your devices.

[@smartereveryday]

Which is also a challenge to do at night in developing nations.

[@Mocsk]

+SmarterEveryDay or any airport.

[@seigeengine]

+KiddsockTV Seems impractical. Gravity isn't really a good way to store energy, since it just takes so much stuff so high up to store any real amount of energy. To put this in perspective, their 12.5 kg/27.5 lb weight would need to be 300m/1000 ft in the air to have enough energy to charge a current gen iphone, and that's assuming perfect efficiency. Really, this solution is great to provide some basic lighting, which requires incredibly small amounts of power with LEDs, and there are a few other applications where this would be great, but for charging something like your phone and so on? No.

[@vlweb3d]

+seigeengine *SO WHAT'S THE PROBLEM !?* When the weight eventually reaches the ground - you just hoist the weight back up again - unless you're super lazy - people in 3rd world countries don't have time to be lazy - quit being so negative.

[@seigeengine]

VL VIDEOS The problem is if you used this set up, you'd need to haul the bag up a couple hundred times to charge your cellphone. Also, point here... it would be more efficient and more compact to drive the system yourself rather than going through the intermediary of storing energy against gravity, and then using that.

[@markifi]

I like Jim.

[@evilcrusader3500]

lol i thought the same thing while i was scrolling down here

[@stocktonjoans]

I like trains

[@MrJanuaryFTW]

+Mark Ifi So do I

[@ruolbu]

+Mark Ifi Exactly

[@smartereveryday]

He's even cooler in person.

[@zagmongor]

I absolutely love this! This is a beautiful feat of engineering. Not only does this eliminate the use of harmful resources, it can be used anywhere, at any point in time by any person on earth. This is such a clever design, it is blowing my mind how simplistic it is. Thank you so much for sharing this.

[@kelzking8806]

Wow, what an amazing inve tion.. thank you for sharing this with us.. this is why i love watching your videos, i learn something new every time from em

[@Neumah]

Connect a bunch of these to a single weight that travels down a deep well and you can light up an entire small village for a couple of hours.

[@TheMrTape]

+Neumah Or a single bigger generator?

[@d3line]

+Neumah Or build 1 wind turbine.

[@attrem]

+Deline Needs wind, gravity is more consistent.

[@KainYusanagi]

+attrem Also needs a large space. This is tiny in comparison.

[@elliottmcollins]

+Neumah Muscle isn't a great way to make electricity beyond a dim one-room light.

[@griplimit261]

it's a human powered light... that uses gravity and potential energy as a medium to store the energy, like a windup toy that uses a spring instead.

[@hunkyvampire]

Grip Limit exactly. A humen still has to hoist the weight in position. That uses humen energy.

[@ihl0700677525]

Still, technically it's the gravity that moves/pull the weight. We usually call a windup toys a "spring powered" toy, just like this a "gravity powered" lamp.

[@griplimit261]

Immanuel Herman sure those examples are how we define the way we store the energy, but we (humans) still put the energy into it. unlike your cell phone that you plug into an external power source, or buying batteries for a flashlight.

[@ironcito1101]

And humans are food-powered. Which is sun-powered. So I guess it's a fusion-powered light ;-)

[@griplimit261]

Diego C. you are correct. almost all energy on the surface of this planet comes from that big ball of plasma in the sky.

[@OscarGonzalez-kb3gg]

Each light session lasts 20 minutes? That's pretty sweet.

[@HedroomMax]

Destin, make more videos like this one. Truly amazing!

[@seanpeery7780]

This is actually along the lines of what people are proposing as a solution to storing solar power on mass. Because lithium batteries can only hold so energy and they lose energy too fast for large reservoirs. Using solar power to lift an object while its getting energy and letting the object fall when there is no more sun gives you the ability to store energy theoretically until gravity stops working or something physically brakes. The trick is translating solar energy into lifting energy efficiently.

[@matucha123]

Sean Peery Actually gravity is already used as storage as pumped hydro-power

[@matucha123]

Sean Peery oh and their efficiency is around 70-80%

[@seanpeery7780]

matucha123 Thank you.

[@beamboy14526]

This is not practical. A small solar farm with an output of 10 megawatt will need to store 180 billion joules (10 hour day, half of the energy is stored for the night). You will need to lift an anchor that weighs 1 billion ton to 180 meters. If iron is used, it will cost around $88 billion not accounting for the labor, structure, and lifting mechanism.

[@peterholzer4481]

I think you've made a mistake here: 1 J is 1 Nm. 1 N is approximately the weight of 0.1 kg under Earth gravity. So you don't have to lift 1 billion tons 180 m but only 1 billion times 0.1 kg or 100,000 tons. The hydropower plant near the town where I grew up has a head of more than 800 meters, so to store 180GJ you would have to pump up less than 22500 m³ of water. Doesn't sound that bad. (And in fact using reservoir power stations to store excess energy has been done since at least the 1960s.)

[@Blu3Emperor]

Wow. New Videos from Vsauce, in the nutshell and SmarterEveryDay on the same day. :D

[@redbeam_]

Yeah, they tend to do that :D

[@Letstfact]

Worth waiting

[@santijmm]

+Blu3Emperor I love it. It's like christmas present in advance! :D

[@Letstfact]

+santiago Marroquin also the shots of awe uploaded a new video

[@dcu21]

Just watched "the engineer guy" literally before this video and they both talk about gears... I was mind blown!

[@nileshkarhade]

Awesome! Thanks for making it happen. We experimented on the same principle during our engg. summer project in 2006. We tried to do it on little large scale by using dynamo of a scrapped 2 wheeler. Sadly, it didn't work as expected. Glad to see this concept working. Thanks for sharing!

[@josebraga78]

Hi Destin,i m just want to say you are a great human being that this planet earth need more like you.I m not much educated but is people like you that inspire me to move on and see the world differently,thanks

[@Angel_Underscore]

I don't have access to gravity D:

[@aland8269]

Egyptians invented geometry, medicine, the clock and much much more.

[@3679god]

invented is the wrong word. they knew something about it. things have to be reinvented all the time.

[@HritwRaje]

Angel Mascareñas perhaps 'brain' would be the right term?

[@Yeah_Nah_Yeah.]

lol boy blue and the man on the moon...

[@olemartinrhansen1019]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@jeffdeff3515]

Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day. Give an engineer a fish and he'll create a new form of generating electricity that is 5 times more efficient than our current methods. Gotta love science.

[@Hashazer]

David Hawthorne Gotta have that fish !

[@imthedarknight-8755]

David Hawthorne or give it to macgyver and get an escape plan, weapon, and flying object

[@carolynmmitchell2240]

IMTHEDARKNIGHT - fishbone to pick lock, fish used as bat to fight guard and then I don't know how it would be used to fly.. I guess maybe you mean throw fish?

[@rolandlee6898]

Makes no sense.

[@appsaustralia7461]

New ? Its 800years old ! What's new is the patent they put on it !

[@aquamarine9568]

Wow. That is impressive. Keep these kinds of projects up Shell. Sustainable power is the future.

[@brujo_millonario]

It's been a long time since I've enjoyed a commercial so much, thank you!

[@terryhickman7929]

Thanks for posting this! I contributed to Gravity Light's Indiegogo campaign early on, got myself a unit and paid for one to go to someone who needed one in Africa. Mine's in my garage, lighting a dim corner. It's fascinating to see how it works!

[@Pllutus]

Is no one else concerned that this legend was alone in the Amazon rainforest AT NIGHT, ALONE?!

[@carolynmmitchell2240]

YoungPlutus he was not alone

[@doctor_whoey3857]

If he was alone... Who recorded the video?

[@mihirbindal4012]

YoungPlutus , that too without slippers or shoes!

[@Grizzydan]

Doctor_Whoey his hand.. and forehead.. doyeeee

[@hotrodray6802]

Im bettin on 3 more people with big guns.

[@boltonky]

That's some awesome engineering right there, and reality at the already low cost i could see everyday consumers covering the cost to tool up for mass production to provide them basically free to people in need while the market covers rest. These sort of Ideas is why we should have more Co-Ops so that it can be shared around instead of having to do it all yourself.

[@busterfixxitt]

I'm very happy that someone made this. It's something that I've been imagining for years. I was pretty sure it'd work. Glad someone way smarter than me figured it out!

[@95TurboSol]

BRILLIANT! I still don't understand how the LED prevents it from spinning faster, why wouldn't the weight just fall faster and over volt the LED?

[@EddiePortal]

Agreed. Just at the most interesting bit (as a student of physics) - the mechanism for the linear decrease in GPE - his explanation is "Once the generator turns up to a certain speed and that voltage limit is reached, the LED won't let it turn any faster." Other than the circuitry having a threshold on V_emf, that is no explanation whatsoever!! *How* does the LED not let it turn faster?! That's the crux of the matter. Just stating it happens doesn't explain it, Mr +SmarterEveryDay. As such, I would very much like to see a supplementary video explaining this key (missing) explanatory step. Thank you for reading this (if you did). All the best. PS This is an amazingly simple concept. Why has no one done it before?? As the potential energy comes from lifting an object (i.e. GPE), I'm thinking about the applications to a gym - storing electrical energy that can be used for any number of appliances one could connect to it. ((Proof of concept: Have several GravityLights in a row, lift many objects and have a larger amount of light! But then imagine creating a device where one can lift ONE object several times to store that same amount of total GPE, which can be used for whatever purpose and when the user chooses. I also watched your video on the ARED, so maybe those guys would have some idea how to go about it.))

[@bossmanham]

Electrical resistance I would assume.

[@95TurboSol]

bossmanham Yeah it makes sense to say it, but when you ask yourself why it wouldn't just over volt the LED I can't seem to see any reason why it wouldn't. For instance if I had a hand crank generator hooked up to a tiny light bulb, why would it be impossible to just crank it faster until the bulb burned out?

[@bossmanham]

95TurboSol Think of it like water going through a hose. The certain electrical connection, in this case the LED, can only fit so many electrons through at once. Just like a hose can only fit so many water molecules through at once. Not 100% physically accurate, but pretty close.

[@95TurboSol]

bossmanham In theory it sounds right, however it's definitely not physically impossible to fit so many electrons through something that it just melts the medium that it's flowing through because of heat. For instance, if you took a tiny string and flung it up to a high voltage power line, it would kill you even though the string is tiny, and back to the LED case, I know for sure it's possible to send enough power through an LED to burn it out, so why wouldn't it do that instead?

[@CheeseWithMold]

Wait, the generator is the thing that prevents the bag from falling down so fast? The LED won't let the generator turn faster, I get that, but HOW?

[@eskiho]

+CheeseWithMold Yeah, I wish they'd explain that in more detail.

[@TheLozfan123]

+CheeseWithMold It's magic, don't question it

[@Sen_Kanashimi]

+CheeseWithMold The LED sends a back current that causes the motor to short out and lock magnetically until the current drops again, at least I think so. So really the weight is jittering really really fast as the motor locks and unlocks

[@rubzlovespancakes]

+CheeseWithMold I'm confused by this too. If you were to switch off the light, the bag would stop dropping? I'd love if you could explain this, Destin.

[@TOAST2218]

+CheeseWithMold +jatzy From the resistance of the LED, voltage=current*resistance. Since LED's only run at a certain voltage, the resistance and therefore the current of the LED change to achieve that voltage. Think of it as a funnel, if you pour sand into the funnel it will slowly drain out at a constant speed. decrease the size of the hole at the bottom (increase the resistance) the sand will flow through slower (current). Pretty much if the resistance increases, the current decreases causing the voltage to be steady state. So to keep the voltage constant, the current and resistance is changing (internal property of the led) depending on how much mass is in the bag. hope that helps explain it to you! if not feel free to ask away.

[@funkytown324]

Your videos inspire me to be more inquisitive, and explore all technology because there is so much that we use everyday and dont even understand how it works. -thank you destin

[@angelastreath2311]

I really liked hearing this story. Is good to know there are still people and companies that care enough to produce something useful and much needed to help empower even the poorest people of the world. Keep up the good work. And may you all be truly blessed.

[@trcmf]

+SmarterEveryDay can you make a video explaining how the electrical energy of the LED limits the mechanical energy created by the gears and weight. That blows my minds and completely don't see how that works.

[@fluteplayerify]

+Tim Fevens I also want this. Does the led have a current limiting resistor? or is the generator not able to produce too much current because of mechanical resistance?

[@trcmf]

+kwanarchive I know that much but my problem is Why? I don't understand why/how an LED emitting light slows down physical matter.

[@drakono82]

+Tim Fevens I have the same question, too. LEDs do consume a fixed amount of voltage, but they usually have current-limiting resistors, which will consume as much voltage as you throw at them. (Wires are just low value resistors as well.) Without them, more voltage will increase the current , heating the wire and/or blowing the LED. But either way, I really don't see how the electrical characteristics slow the physical movement of the weight. Are you sure it doesn't just fall at a slow rate because of the friction in the gearing? What happens if you replace the led with just a resistor? Is Destin saying the weight would fall more quickly?

[@godleyanchor3487]

+Tim Fevens As an EE student, my best guess is that either the dc motor they are using has a speed limiter based on the output voltage (i.e. a system that won't let the motor over volt) or there is additional circuitry involved in that process. I don't actually have that much experience with motors atm, but the thing about the LED, and diodes in general, is that they have their set voltage limit that is used for many different applications. Look up zener diodes for example, where the breakdown voltage is specified by design. Hope I got close and was at least a little helpful!

[@Hoch134]

+Chris Godley I have another guess. I think, this is pretty simple to build. All you need is a zener diode (controls the voltage the flowing energy) and an electric generator. The generator can act like a motor, so it slows down when its energy is not used. There's the gravity on one side and the electricity powering (yes, powering) the generator on the other side. Better explained by an electric motor: The faster a motor runs, the more electricity it will produce (yes, produce). A generator on the other hand, will slow down if it doesn't power anything and the electricity/electrons search(es) the easiest path on their way. And this is used in this contraption. I am pretty sure that they do everything to control the exact voltage of the diode as a slight increase of the voltage causes an immensive rise of the current. And this would cause a lot of lost energy as well as a decreased lifetime.

[@tombradford7035]

This guy always presents very interesting but offbeat subjects.

[@Willam_J]

Tom Bradford - You’re right. It seems that as soon as one KZbinr covers a subject, the rest jump on board. Destin is blazing his own trail.

[@lone_puppy3539]

Now that is freak'n genius! The secret societies are thinking, "Now, how do we monetize gravity? Moo ha ha haaaa....!" ;-)

[@Kit-yv7ob]

At 70 bucks a pop they already have...

[@mortensolbergjr2876]

This was an awsome one i love this gravity light a great emergency light for anyone anywhere. Thank you.

[@pratofundo]

I don't know what it is, but you and Emily (The Brain Scoop *****) share the same wonder/surprise/admiration for Science/Knowledge. Which I find very amusing! :) Well, after all I guess I knew it! Next time, stop by in Brazil ;)

[@MiguelAbd]

+PratoFundo Exactly, most of our country still have problems with basic needs like light, water and food. We need more people like Destin

[@SahHabbiana]

Brazilian here too :)

[@noamtashma2859]

oh, there's a whole lot of good science channels on KZbin. check out veritasium, for example

[@banjoc222]

+Noam Tashma YES. The Brainscoop. Also, if you go to Emily's video "Where My Ladies At?", she lists several STEM educators on KZbin in the description.

[@Kingfishy99]

+PratoFundo Isnt Brazil a very dangerous place in terms of violence?

[@K-VR]

that is awesome and you taught me something that I havnt learned in my engineering class

[@ayussshhh]

This is Insanely Genius... Thank you so much for this... I loved it...

[@JasonWh]

I bought 2!! They are quite rugged and perform really well. Surprisingly heavy and built to last which is not projected in the video.

[@D3w10n]

At first, title felt a bit clickbaity, but wow...

[@garybates6403]

Still can't believe I missed you when you were in my home town (Salisbury)! :(

[@derp269]

This guy is a genius in a all forms!... form video quantity, angles, whit, brains, and so much enthusiasm and passion for knowledge.. and life. Love you man. 🤙

[@swill3677]

5:32 the genuine smiles when he compliments their invention

[@AndreasStom]

They should use these on the ISS. Then they don't need solar power anymore!

[@SerDerpish]

+reptileawsome well it's not exactly in short supply up there...

[@AndreasStom]

SerDerpish Well, I was kidding

[@MegaFPVFlyer]

Wait a second...

[@tank4969able]

lol that cracked me up!! I'm sad to see that my first thought was great idea!! lol i caught up to the party though i swear!! :)

[@akashramola1639]

+reptileawsome yes the gravity there is so extreme that it can power the whole ISS man u r a genius

[@daisyl8572]

That is amazing! I never knew this even existed. That's awesome for areas prone to natural disasters. I'm going to have to get one to add to my hurricane preparedness kit. 😊

[@scottfoster3445]

Love your channel Destin I'm glad some UK stuff in there x

[@slhgrow7683]

I can't believe I just heard about this. Well done. Thanks to you and KZbin for sharing.

[@DJ_Force]

Technically, you aren't powering by gravity, you are powering by food since the energy input comes from lifting the weight.

[@fca003]

Gas power comes from solar energy stored by plants and microorganism that became petroleum. So, petrol cars are solar powered.

[@sargondp69]

Technically, all energy originated at the creation of the universe. So this is all just stealing God energy: thieves!

[@sarojrani8181]

@@sargondp69 you still believe in God ? If yes which one

[@Psartz]

@@sarojrani8181 who say there are many there is only one.

[@bearddragon_]

@@sarojrani8181 All of them

[@buthabrot]

Talking about Children have to burn Fuel to have light for homework. Video is powered by Shell. lmao

[@perropan1249]

Lmfao

[@imgayasheck595]

Which probably destroyed their country

[@JerryDLTN]

What are the plastic gears made from? What is the plastic casing made from?

[@hhthoj]

Alternative energy doesn't hurt fossil fuel companies. They are diversifying their products since the fossil fuel they're relying on is not permanent anyway. In fact, it give them more initiative if they want create context, the "switching" point on the market when their stored resources are running out.

[@rubanj2866]

i am sure you have helped a lot more poor people than this light made with Shell's money will ever help. /s

[@GabrielLopes-tl8ht]

This is so amazing and took me four years to discover. That’s a nice job

[@MrJdsenior]

You could do the same thing with a wind up spring, and make it last longer than 20 minutes. The nice thing about the gravity weight is you get a lot of energy and a very short "recharge" time, just lifting the weight through a few feet.

[@onenationunderduress8994]

You mean I can’t use this in space? Please come up with Zero Gravity light, please. Thanks.

[@chelseaveck]

You're asking too much...

[@nightstand4319]

Didnt Tesla do that already?

[@nihaliqbalshaikh]

Stored Solar power

[@LegoEddy]

Fun Fact, there are people developing human-body-heat powered torchlights

[@sscswimmer1]

You could probably use a spring or elastic band with enough gears, but you'd still have to reset it often.

[@TheRealFlenuan]

Technically it's just harnessing your body's energy; the work done in lifting the sac results in the gravitational potential energy which powers the lamp. So in some ways it's just like a hand-crank lamp, except you do all the work required in a matter of seconds by lifting something heavy. 😛

[@unwoke8782]

Plus there is no battery

[@cristobalnietogonzalez4460]

That is a really cool project!!! Congratulations men!✌🏻

[@robdave1974]

Excellent work gentlemen.

[@freesk8]

I wonder how easy it is to replace the belt? As rubber belts get old, the rubber cracks and they break.

[@freesk8]

+freesk8 Awesome product! I hope they sell millions.

[@Hoch134]

+freesk8 I'm sure the bearing will break faster due to the high stress it has to withstand. Also, the plastic won't last for decades. After 5-10 years the device will be broken, but it shouldn't be too expensive to build.

[@spasjt]

+freesk8 Good question; fortunately in several developing countries in South America and Africa they have acres of rubber trees that they sell to developed countries. So really all they have to do is continue to do what their doing but keep a little more of it for their little light belts.

[@user-jt7bx3ek8w]

+freesk8 third world country have well developed repair shops that can fix most simple things, it did not look that complicated

[@user-jt7bx3ek8w]

***** have you been in a third world country, there is a loooooooooot of rubber and plastic(it is cheap). their is no organized way to get rid of the stuff

[@punkisinthedetails1470]

This idea doesn't need the hard shell, it shells itself. Sorry, couldn't resist.

[@ctnrb741]

LOL

[@Thisisahandle701]

Who would have thought Shell would pedal an invention that used renewable energy in the place of burning a filthy hazardous fossil fuel. The sweet delicious irony.

[@dam1371]

I think you are right it is awesome. This might yet be another step to even better inventions in the future for power and other scientific breakthroughs.

[@kevingroovy8648]

This was a super epic video!! Thanks Destin

[@EvanMoon]

I feel so smarter today

[@dougdimmadome7529]

I feel so much smarter* lol

[@pullarz414]

+kyle kiang You just corrected someone on their grammar and decide to use 'lol'...

[@abcdefghilihgfedcba]

+Pullarz What’s wrong with that? Nothing.

[@moonanddarkness]

+Evan Moon Don't worry, someone will make you feel dumb eventually.

[@TheRealFlenuan]

*so much smarter You've learned some English grammar too :D

[@skidhvh]

pepoles in falling lift: why its falling? me: ItsGeNeRatIng LigHt

[@user_hat]

peoples in falling lift: AAAHHHH

[@TheoJones921]

As someone from Salisbury I did not expect my sleepy little city to pop up the very first day I'm learning about Smarter Every Day! Super cool

[@RockCrushing777]

Very cool idea..thanks for bringing the idea to us

[@TheCulturalCompass]

Oh, this is just genius ! Thank you for sharing. This is a game changer!

[@Glooberloob]

could you have a large scale version of this power a house? use a car jack-like tool to lift a very large weight high up, and reset it every morning as part of your chores? excuse my possible ignorance.

[@DiazShitAndStuff]

good idea

[@codewithsid2063]

and connect it through a gearbox to i dont know may be your treadmill. so that 2 times exercising(morning and evening) may full up all the weights and power the lights for the nex day.

[@FrankDad]

Good idea, if it was on a large scale, the generator must power a battery to power a thing to re lift the weights thought, that is the only challenge.

[@migueeeelet]

Sounds like the clock. I can imagine this being applied for a giant battery. I wonder if the energy generated can be used to lift the weight back up via a motor or something, and still manage to produce more than it wastes :O

[@Glooberloob]

it cant no perpetual motion, my friend

[@petereldred1541]

How could you not love this product, smart easy functional helpful just beautiful !!

[@abhirupchowdhury3319]

Reminds me of a short i had watched where a gym cycle would power a house or something. This principle would make a lot of sense there. Cycle lifts weight. Drop gives power.

[@NikolaZagorac]

wtf what are you doing in the Amazon...

[@hotrodray6802]

Rich people travel to make YT videos.

[@EchoBuildsThings]

Buying GravityLight online, duh /s

[@jennhoff03]

Burning. (too soon? ;) )

[@dunnml68]

I foresee a gravity shortage by 2025! This is great, I have spent time in countries where this would not only be life changing but life saving!

[@gortnewton4765]

Reduced gravity will cause the seas to rise and polar bears to migrate into cities.

[@MrSingh369]

yes but we will definitely start flying on earth. Its gonna be a great achievement.

[@honoriswithin]

Jim reminds me of a cross between Heath Ledger and Dr. Edward Group. Thanks for teaching us about this project! Awesome!

[@metafuel]

Truly fantastic. Ingenious and simple. The best kind of fantastic.

[@grazyscientist]

the ting go skraaaa... 2:48

[@w.c.orielly9059]

Give me a minute to assess the "gravity" of this situation... This is what we've all been "weighting" for.... I have seen the light..🤔🤯😅😂🤣

[@EnlightenedTurtle]

You say gravity.. fair enough. I say it is a inequationated theory on a yet unexplained downward force.

[@tedl7538]

Nice of you to weigh in on the topic, WC.

[@MikhalisBramouell]

@@EnlightenedTurtle Quantum Physics explains this downward/negative force gracefully without gravity, and CERN scientists confirm on their home website that they've never found the graviton supposedly applying this force...

[@diliupg]

Heavy man. Weighs me down.

[@EnlightenedTurtle]

@@MikhalisBramouell lol what you lying for... it is theory not fact. Like literally 100% theory!

[@HigherWaysWoman]

Brilliant....Absolutely Brilliant...!! Thanks for posting it so ppl like me can come across things that are needed to be known about....might miss things when they first come out...videos like this helps us to catch up on more of the latest gadgets...!

[@running730]

This is phenomenal! Why have I never heard of this!

[@craigcorson3036]

Maybe because it's brand new?

[@gryphonschnitzel7140]

Lets go to africa and sell gravity so they can use these lamps

[@bernat_CustardCream]

Sure they would love to buy it from Shell in the delta of Niger river. Shell has a lot of friends there... and a little spill of oil. The thing is to have open and free blueprints of the device and make it from recycled materials. That's the way you do it for everyone. I'll wait to see how this is not a image washing campaign. Short: It's a good idea, but evil corporation funding. Not much hope

[@nikhilprasad3947]

This stuff is so costly that with that money, those Africans can eat for a month

[@williamdowling7718]

Ah, capitalism.

[@neutraldood8866]

GRYPHON SCHNITZEL o THEY CAN'T PRICE HRAVITY DO THEY WON'T WANNA TAKE IT TO AFRICA DAMM GOVERMENT 😢

[@ethanjames6367]

TheBlankProject do you mean an infinitely low demand at any given price which isn't 0?

[@josebarria3233]

No one has attempted to convert gravity into light.. The sun: *Im a joke to you?*

[@TheMatrixcube]

love this video ! props to the guys at gravitylight . tough i would ad gearing to better the time it can run without resetting the weight .. this in turn tho add,s complexity and cost ... i love this kind of stuff .... should have stayed in school a little longer 😓

[@Mir4HighlightsPH]

Thank you Shell!!

[@zadotterazo690]

dam. I would hate to be in space with that.

[@RG-pr5xx]

Zadott Erazo you could pull it down

[@darkhalocraft4515]

to much effort

[@tskedition]

bungee cord

[@dinosaurcomplaints2359]

Easy, centrifugal force!

[@chronicawareness9986]

i have a hand made wooden gravity operated clock made in Colombia. very similar to this. just pull the weight up every other day and let gravity continue to power the clock.

[@martinhirsch94]

German cuckoo clocks...

[@Seansaighdeoir]

Awesome thanks for posting!

[@pohaver1]

Hi Destin, my 5yo son would like to say; "I kinda like the light because I want to see, and I like the video." I play videos for my son at bedtime and I watch to see which of them capture his attention spark his imagination. Smarter every day is his favorite, he has been watching your videos for about a year now with no signs of loosing interest. Thank you Destin for opening his mind to bigger ideas.

[@fabian1939]

This is really a cool idea. Although, i don't get the voltage limit thing. How does it stop the generator from turning faster? Does anyone know a good article or something where this is explained well?

[@normanhiggs8451]

When the load on a generator is increased (that's the sharply rising current graph in the video) it creates something called "counter-torque' in the generator, an electromagnetic force opposing the rotation of the generator - effectively acting as a brake.

[@fabian1939]

Norman Higgs Ah, thank you. Now I know what I have to search for. Sounds really fascinating. :)

[@chrisprime492]

this is nothing new i can assure you that. people have been powering light off of gravity aka water reseviors/ dams .. nothing new here, it only new to him because he has nothing else to report

[@fabian1939]

Chris Prime By this logic, there was nothing new in the last 7 decades or so, as every new technology was derived or inherited from already existing technologies.

[@nicksonyap]

If not mistaken the "votlage limit" mentioned by Destin is about the forward voltage of an LED (diode) where at certain point of voltage increment, the diode will allow a lot of current through, essentially loading the motor a lot more, slowing the motor down like a short circuit. I think the "counter-torque“ mentioned by Norman is one of the effects but only obvious when there is little to no load.

[@dhandemilyhenry4599]

This makes me think of 2 Peter 1:19 "...whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn..."

[@jessicaolson3565]

Yes!

[@GeneralAlex4]

Great job guys!

[@jaco-louisventer8275]

Once again it's creative application of simple "common knowledge" type stuff that results in these amazing solutions