Cheap, Handheld Solar Light Could Dramatically Change Lives Of 1.5 Billion
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), 25% of the worlds population is without electricity. As most of these people are poor they must work during daylight hours and are without lighting at night that would improve social bonds, educational attainment, among other necessities.
The “little sun”, a solar-powered lamp intended for use in “off grid” areas around the world, is the creation of Danish-Icelandic Artist Olafur Eliasson, a winner at the the 2014 MIT Eugene McDermott Awards presented in March 2014.
McDermott, cofounder of Texas instrument, was presented with a 100,000 cash prize, an artist residency at MIT, exhibitions, a public lecture and most importantly, a chance to collaborate with MIT staff and students to help make “little son” as good as it can be.
The award recognizes Eliasson as “a rising and innovative talent.” In the awards ceremony held on the MIT campus Eliasson said, “it is a great honor for me to receive the Eugene McDermott award in the Arts at MIT, an institution with a long tradition of turning thinking into doing.”
The following video shows the Little Sun, the awards event and interviews with some of the collaborators who helped McDermott improve the “little sun.”
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References and related links:
- MIT Museum: Exhibitions – Sampling MIT – Little Sun
- MIT’s Eugene McDermott Award to Olafur Eliasson | New York Observer
- Olafur Eliasson 2014 recipient of Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts at MIT
