Floating LuminAID Solar Light Helps Disaster Victims

Nowadays, people from poor countries often put their health at risk while trying to lighten their households, using kerosene lamps and candles that often generate devastating fires.

In an attempt to improve the lives of financially challenged individuals, while also lending a hand to disaster victims, experts from Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture have launched a creative, eco-friendly alternative.

Their ingenious LuminAID solar light lamp inflates and can float on water, lightening any kind of surface without posing any risks.

Its developers indicate that LuminAID is perfect for post-disaster situations, like the ones recorded in Pakistan or Haiti.

The gadget can be fully charged directly under sunlight in almost five hours, providing up to 4 hours of light on high setting, and 6 hours on low setting, enough to help people overcome a potential crisis situation.

After being inflated, the LuminAID becomes an ideal waterproof, lightweight lantern that can be easily carried around.

Its battery lasts for up to 800 cycles, representing one of the most amazing sustainable concepts ever designed, seeking to revolutionize portable forms of light. Moreover, their two exterior layers of plastic make it far more eco-friendly than conventional solar lanterns, available on the market, making it available for recycling operations.

Its developers plan to increase the number of such items shipped to developing countries, where most of the people have to settle with less than $2 (€1.56) on a daily basis and are currently not connected to the energy grid.

A similar charitable project was supported by My Shelter Foundation, a non-governmental organization from the Philippines, managing to take 25,000 homes out of the dark. Their green technology is unbelievably simple and efficient.

Common soda bottles are filled with filtered water and bleach, sealed to avoid any leaks and installed on rooftops. These cost-effective gadgets are considered a new generation of risk-free, green lightning bulbs.