A Soccer Ball That Gives You Energy -- Really

13 November 2011

The sOccket ball can store up to twenty-four hours' worth of power.

This is the VOA Special English Technology Report.

Have you ever heard the expression "a ball of energy"? People often use the term to describe very active children. But today we tell about an invention">invention called the sOccket, that is a real ball of energy. Julia Silverman ins">explains.

JULIA SILVERMAN: "The sOccket is a

ing">cutting-edge

portable

generator

in">in the form of a soccer ball."

Julia Silverman and Jessica Matthews developed the sOccket as part of a group project for an ineering">engineering class at Harvard University.

To better understand what a sOccket is, you first need to understand how it works.

JULIA SILVERMAN: "When you play with the ball, there is all this energy ing">being

transfer

red

to the ball -- even any normal soccer ball. Basically, what we're ing">trying to do is instead">instead of ing">letting that energy

dissipate

into">into the environment or just be lost, we're

ing">harnessing

it inside">inside ing">using these mechanisms, this technology that

essentially

tries to

capture

ing">everything with the movement. ing">Everything that is harnessed is then

stored

in

a battery of

sorts."The sOccket collects and stores this energy with every kick, hit or throw of the ball.