Canadian teen invented body-heat flashlight; now she makes renewable energy toys
Ann Makosinski, a Canadian inventor, gained international recognition for creating a body-heat-powered flashlight as a teenager. She has since transitioned into developing renewable energy toys to inspire interest in science.
Why it matters
Her story highlights the potential for youth-led innovation in sustainable technology and the importance of accessible engineering solutions for global energy poverty.
They say some children are born prodigies, and when it comes to Ann Makosinski, the statement holds true. As a teenager living in Canada, her friend living in the Philippines told her that she couldn't study at night since her family couldn't afford electricity to turn the lights on. Soon she wondered if there was a way to have light without traditional electricity. This is when she came up with a record-making invention, a flashlight powered by body heat.Like other children her age, Makosinski did not watch television or play video games. She spent her time listening to the opera, watching silent movies and learning to play the piano and violin. Interestingly, her first toy was a box of transistors. “I wasn’t given many toys, so I had to make my own,” she said to CNN back in 2019.
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