Phenomena

Explored Soccket Ball Energy

Try this! (1-2 minutes)
1. Pick up the Soccket ball and begin kicking it back and forth in a group
of about ten people. As you are kicking the ball, make some
observations about what is happening with the ball as you kick it
back and forth.
2. After kicking the ball a few minutes, take the LED lamp and plug it
into the plug. What do you observe?

Whats going on?

The user that is kicking the ball begins the process of creating stored
potential energy. The longer the ball is kicked, the greater amount of
potential energy created. When the LED lamp connects to the plug, it
produces kinetic energy in the form of light.

The above image is a picture of the Soccket II

ball. It was taken as a screen shot from this
YouTube link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCS9Z54DUyk

Now try this! (5 minutes)

1. Kick the ball for three minutes and observe what happens.
2. If you were to kick the Soccket ball for one hour, it should generate
about three hours of light through the LED lamp.
3. In knowing the ratio of length of time kicked versus energy produced
through the LED lamp, calculate how much light you could get out of
the ball for only kicking it ten minutes.
This image picture is showing the circuit board
Whats going on?
Inside of the Soccket ball is a pendulum, generator, circuit board,
induction coils, battery and a plug. The DC generator consists of a
permanent magnet inside and induction coils that spin due to the
electric current generated. The coils are energized, which creates a
magnetic field. The battery stores the power being generated by the
motion of the kicking the ball. The stored energy converts into kinetic
energy when an LED lamp is plugged into the socket of the ball to
retrieve the power.

on the left hand side with a jack connected to it

and the right side is the completed board with the
battery, generator, and the pendulum. This
image was taken as a screen shot of this
YouTube link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzchNIVqjQ4

How is this related to ASSIST?

The ASSIST Center is working on finding new methods of sustainable

energy harvesting. Their is research focused on thermoelectric generators

(energy produced from heat), piezoelectric electric materials (energy
through motion), and solar power. The ASSIST Center is doing research to
determine how the human body and environment can directly power
wearable electronic devices. This demo is a good introduction into energy
conservation and energy harvesting technology.


This image is showing the DC generator,
battery, and the pendulum that are all
connected to store energy. This image was
taken as a screen shot of this YouTube link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzchNIVqj
Q4

Learning Objectives
1. Students will calculate how long the light can be produced for kicking the ball for five minutes.
2. Students will understand how the motion of the ball is used to generate energy.
3. Students will understand how energy harvesting impacts the design of the device.

Materials

One LED lamp

Soccket Ball from Uncharted Play
Willing participants

Notes to the presenter

Before doing this activity, please do the following:
Make sure the socket ball is working.
Reserve a large area for use of the Soccket ball.
SAFETY: The ball should stay below knee height. Also, be aware of physical limitations and if need be the ball
may be rolled across the floor. Also, the best surface to use the ball are either grass or smooth surfaces. These
surfaces are mainly just to protect the balls outer layer from getting damaged.
Cleanup: No clean up should be needed.

Related educational resources

For further research:

The Soccket Website- http://unchartedplay.com/

The ASSIST Center- http://assist.ncsu.edu/
Energy Harvesting- http://www.iop.org/resources/energy/
Renewable Energies- http://energy.gov/science-innovation/energy-sources/renewable-energy


Credits and rights
Crystal Pennypacker, ASSIST Center at North Carolina State University.
Uncharted Play Company. http://unchartedplay.com/pages/impact-page