Every once in a while, an awesome gadget comes along that impresses all the right people. While I can’t say for sure whether or not this next piece of tech is going to do just that, I can say it has me thoroughly captivated.
The SALt Lamp Runs on a Glass of Water and Salt
LED lights are extremely efficient, especially when coupled with the appropriate rechargeable batteries or solar generating panels. Unfortunately, batteries have their limitations and so does solar power. For instance, there’s the obvious point that once the sun goes down you cannot generate anymore energy for 12 hours give or take.
Then there are kerosene lamps, which are relatively cheap yet hazardous, especially out in the wilds. Knock a lamp over by accident or spill a little kerosene and you have a recipe for disaster.
The SALt — Sustainable Alternative Lighting — lamp offers one of the best solutions to those problems. All you need to power it is a glass of water and two teaspoons of salt. With both of those things, the light will continue to remain powered for up to eight hours. Eight hours on a glass of water and two teaspoons of salt. Holy shit that’s awesome.
How Does It Work?
The SALt LED lamp includes a galvanic cell battery. It’s connected to two electrodes, which rest in the salty water — serving as the electrolyte solution. Those electrodes generate the appropriate charge and the energy is converted for use with the internal bulb.
Eventually, the electrodes will need to be replaced so they don’t last forever. However, the lamp can be run for up to eight hours a day for about six months straight before they go bad. When the time is up, you simply replace them and then keep on keepin’ on.
Interestingly enough, there’s also a USB port on the side of the lantern. According to the manufacturers, there’s enough juice to charge smartphones via this port, which is great if you’re out in the middle of nowhere without any proper electrical outlets.
What’s It Cost?
There’s no word on a retail price just yet, but the purported release date is set for 2016. For more info you can always check out the official site.
