The LuminAID is an ingenious portable LED light that was designed by architecture graduate students Anna Stork and Andrea Sreshta as a product to assist post-earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. Simply leave it laying in the sun to charge up the internal battery (rechargeable up to 500 times), inflate the bag, and the LuminAID can provide 6-8 hours of light. This LED lantern is waterproof, and it can even float. It’s much safer than the candles that many were using for light in the tent cities.
They are available for purchase now for use as emergency or even camp lighting. You can purchase a single LuminAID for $15 for your own use, or you can purchase the Give Light, Get Light package for $25 to receive a light and donate another to to communities in need of safe light. You can donate extra LuminAID lanterns to communities in need for $10 each.
Watch the above video for more information. Gift-giving season is approaching. Consider giving the LuminAID to the outdoorsman on your list, to people in need of an emergency light, or for everyone on your list who cares about helping others.
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So atter 500 charges, days?, you just throw it away ?
@Ronald All rechargeable batteries have a limited number of times they can be recharged and still hold a good charge. The 500 times probably isn’t set in stone. This is just a news item, so I haven’t seen one of these to review, so you’ll need to contact the company to ask if the batteries are replaceable.
“So atter 500 charges, days?, you just throw it away ?”
No. You do what all self-respecting gadget collecting geeks do with “disposable” powered stuff. You rip it apart and replace the battery.
Sure, it wont be in a cute inflatable bag any more, but imagine what you can do with about 2 feet of wire, soldering iron and a backyard shed. Sounds FUN!
I bought three of the LuminAid lights and all three have problems. One has a defective battery and will not work at all on the second the valve stem is not attached to the bag making inflation impossible and the third the valve stem plug will not stay in the hole and the air leaks out within a few minutes. They have an interesting and potentially useful product but the cheap Chinese manufacturing makes them near worthless.
I love the Luminaid light. We keep one in our airplane always charging in the window during flights just in case of an emergency . On a recent night flight most of our instrument lights went out. I quickly inflated our Luminaid and it lit up our cockpit perfectly. I now give the Luminaid light as gifts for friends and family members.