Innovative Body Heat Powered Flashlight Created By A Teenager

Teenagers these days are so smart compared to when we were that age. The sky is the limit for what they can do with the technology available today, and they continue to develop the most inspiring creations that mesmerize us all. For example, there was the teenage girl who created a Twitter plugin to hide TV spoilers and the teenage boy who created a 3D printed smart prosthetic arm for cheap. This article is about the 15-year-old girl who created a body heat powered flashlight for the Google science fair.

Ann Makosinski competed against thousands of other teens from over 100 countries for a place in the finals at the Google science fair. Her passion is finding a way to use the energy all around us that we don’t typically use. Once she decided to harvest body heat, she created this body heat powered flashlight.

Her father helped her by ordering the parts she needed online (which cost $26), and her mother encouraged her all the way. Just like any other innovator, there were times when Ann didn’t know if her body heat powered flashlight was ever going to work. Plus, she was trying to do her research and experimenting at the same time as doing her regular homework for school.

Eventually it all came together for her, and you can watch the video below with her 2-minute summary of how it all works. As a finalist, Ann will get to visit Google’s headquarters where she will find out if she won the grand prize. If she wins that, she’ll receive a $50,000 scholarship and a trip to the Galapagos Islands. Ann has been entering science fairs since she was in the 6th grade (she’s in the 10th grade now). Even though she’s only 15-years-old, this recognition has been a long time coming. Congratulations Ann!