Four UAE students to showcase project at UN
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF SHARJAH STUDENTS’ HAND-POWERED DEVICE THAT LIGHTS UP BULBS TO COMPETE FOR HULT PRIZE IN NEW YORK
Four students of the American University of Sharjah (AUS) have been chosen to showcase their project for low-cost electricity production at the Hult Prize competition on September 15 at the UN in New York.
The U-Light project envisions using a winding motion of the hand to crank up a simple, reliable, and affordable source of electricity. It can produce enough energy for a household to light up bulbs and also for other energy needs.
The 2018 Hult Prize is a challenge to student teams around the world to develop energy innovations that can be scaled to improve the lives of millions. The AUS team’s project seeks to find simple and affordable solutions to electricity needs of the world, especially of those living in developing countries.
Speaking about their project, students Omar Al Khattab (mechanical engineering), Omar Mansour (chemical engineering), Ahmad Yasser (electrical engineering) and Omar Ganem (business management), said they are excited and honoured on being chosen for the global prize, which attracts more than 100,000 entries globally.
Sharing details about the project, Yasser said that 1.2 billion people live “off the grid” (without electricity). “The $17 [around Dh62] U-Light device saves up to $200 for families that live off $1 a day. This allows them to get more productive hours of light at no extra cost,” he said.
Yasser, who was studying antique mechanical clocks at the time, realised that generating light using the same concept could have a global impact and help more than a billion people.
Professor Bjorn Kjerfve, AUS chancellor, said AUS “continues to deliver its research agenda... attracting the best graduate and undergraduate students from across the region and beyond”.