Power Play

The game of soccer requires little more than a ball and two makeshift goals, which is why it has become one of the world’s most popular sports. In both professional and recreational settings, soccer is a celebrated pastime worldwide. Until now, the valuable energy produced during the game simply vanished into midair, as with any physical activity. However, a cutting-edge soccer ball seeks to capture that dispelled energy in the form of kinetic energy in an effort to power household electronics and appliances in disadvantaged areas.

Often, residents in developing countries wait years for electricity to reach their region. According to the 2006 World Bank Millennium Goals Report, 95 percent of African counties have no access to electricity. Uncharted Play, the organization behind the ground-breaking soccer ball, Soccket, aims to combat electricity scarcity around the world. By literally placing power in peoples’ hands, Soccket can help alleviate the stress caused by endless searching for electricity for citizens in various off-grid areas. Like other technological initiatives, the team at Uncharted Play says that Soccket will help prevent house fires resulting from kerosene lamps used by more than one billion people around the world.

Soccket works by capturing kinetic energy through an inductive coil. As the ball is in play, a magnet is drawn through the coil which creates a current that is then stored in a battery. Uncharted Play says that 30 minutes of play time can equate to approximately three hours of power for an LED.

While the revolutionary soccer ball has numerous advantages, the team at Uncharted Play is concerned that fights may ensue over who gets to use the power at the conclusion of a soccer game. To address the problem, the Soccket team is working within social settings such as schools, hospitals, and churches to better understand individual households’ needs.

In an effort to bring the ball to market, Uncharted Play has raised more than $75,000 on Kickstarter. By scaling up assembly, Uncharted Play hopes to reach more in-need regions and preserve manufacturing in the United States.