It is the simple, practical and effective idea of Rebecca Young12 years old, student of the Kelvinside Academy of Glasgow, Scotland.
Rebecca invented one Thermal blanket powered by solar energydesigned for people who live in the street. The project was born from a daily experience: to see men and women sleep outdoors in his city. He wondered what he could do concretely to help them. And he found a solution.
How the sun blanket works
The blanket is contained in a backpack. During the day, i flexible solar panels installed on the external surface collect energy and feed one internal battery. At night, the battery activates a system of electric heating with copper wire sewing directly in the blanket. The heat remains for eight hoursthe average time of a sleep.
Rebecca also thought of a temperature control circuit: The system lights up or turns off automatically, based on the external climate. This allows you to save energyavoiding waste.
In addition, the backpack has storage pockets and easily transforms into a thermal sleeping bagensuring greater protection from cold. Everything is light, portable and does not require access to electrical outlets. A fundamental detail for those who do not have a home.
From school idea to royal prototype
Rebecca presented his project to the national scientific competition Primary Engineer Macrobert Medal. Over 70,000 participantswon the silver medal in the general classification and the public prize.
The idea was so much so that the group Thalesa company specialized in engineering and advanced technologies, has decided to create a working prototype. The model was developed with resistant and flexible materials, designed for real and daily use. Some charitable associations of Glasgow are already testing the blanket with homeless people.
