Latro

In a post before this one, I wrote about a solar lantern that would help provide light through renewable energy. Now, I read an article about a lamp that has the ability to produce electricity through your water, algae, and your breath. Mike Thompson, the creator of the lamp Latro, states it is a living and breathing product, synthesized from both nature and technology (Alter). Furthermore, he states that cultivating the algae was a simple task that required only carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight.

Acquired At: http://www.designboom.com/design/mike-thompson-latro-algae-lamp/

So when does your breath come into play, you ask? Well, when you inhale oxygen your red blood cells absorb it and then those cells expel a waste product, known as carbon dioxide, a component needed to activate photosynthesis. So basically what you do is just offer a bit of your breath to the algae in the lamp, and then photosynthesis begins to produce electricity for the lamp to use.

Acquired At: http://www.designboom.com/design/mike-thompson-latro-algae-lamp/

Mike Thompson states that the owners of Latro should treat this lamp, which contain the algae, like pets because they have to be taken care of and fed. I believe this is a  great and very useful discovery, for it provides a new type of energy source.

 

Works Cited

Alter, Lloyd. "Amazing Lamp Powered by Algae, Water, and Your Breath." TreeHugger. Treehugger, 8 June 2010. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. <http://www.treehugger.com/interior-design/amazing-lamp-powered-by-algae-water-and-your-breath.html>.