Portable Light Textile

““Leapfrog” technology is a term used to describe an advance in technology that is so sudden and decisive that it appears to bypass or jump over historical patterns of gradual development.”

It is about designing a way forward, to imagine the future or where the frog is going to leap and what is going to happen and “form and understanding of it”. In this case it is about thinking ahead for the other 90% of people in the world who don’t have the same privileges.

Sheila Kennedy gives the example of the Portable Light. It was an “intersection between design research and social action.” As a result it was discovered that there was a need for a self-contained infrastructure that could give useful amount of light to a great number of people.

“It had to be independent or work on its own, and simple enough to be reliable.”

“One of the inspirations came from nature: the LED devices they are developing are inspired by the behaviour of fireflies, that cloud together to create a bright light source from many many small units.” (Pli)

The Portable Light Textile engaged the participation of women because women often perform the labor in rural communities.

Portable light technology provides enough light for this Huichol girl to do her homework at night, even though there is no electricity in her village.

Portable light, developed by University Michigan and Kennedy & Violich Architecture, is a series of prototypes which integrate flexible solar cells and super bright LEDs into lighting solutions for the large number of people (over 2 billions) who do not have access to electric light or power.

Portable light is adapted differently in each country in
United States/Brazil, Mexico, Nicaragua, Venezuelan and
Brazilian Amazonas, South Africa

Las Guyabas with hand bags
Africa with blankets.
Bangladesh with roof system
Soft houses: solar panel with curtains

A Portable Light weighs less than a pound and can withstand abuse because textiles are strong for their weight. Kennedy has dropped Portable Light units from as high as 30 feet off the ground without damaging them.