Ann Makosinski, the Victoria teen grabbing headlines around the world after making the finals of the 2013 Google Science Fair, says the idea behind her invention is simple.
The Grade 10 student told The Globe And Mail that her human-powered flashlight combined ideas from previous projects she has entered into her local science fair over the past five years. That this project has gone so far, has been a big surprise, she said.
"I'm really interested in harvesting surplus energy, energy that surrounds but we never really use," Ann told CBC News.
She realized that the warmth generated by the human body was an overlooked energy source, The Daily Mail said. Once she started looking at Peltier tiles – which generate electricity when heated on one side and cooled on the other – Makosinski was able to come up with her hollow flashlight design.
In September, she will fly to Mountain View, Calif., to present her science project, which is competing with 14 others for the top prize.
The winner will be announced on Sept. 23 and receive a 10-day trip to the Galapagos Islands with National Geographic Expeditions, a $50,000 scholarship, and other prizes.
The finalists were chosen after judges evaluated thousands of projects submitted by students from more than 120 countries.
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