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Sticky Tape Flashlight

Rotate handle to create light.
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Through the process of Tribolumenescence, some sticky tapes emit a glow when pulled apart. The phenomenon is not fully understood, but is thought to be the breaking of chemical bonds in the adhesives. An array of sticky tape rolls is positioned on a reflective surface, with a hand crank and gear set connected to each one. Each roll is fed to a 'take-up spool'. A person cranks the handle in back, causing all the rolls to be unwound onto the spools, generating light.

A bonus feature is that if the array is contained within a vaccuum, the tapes actually emit X-Rays.

Cedar Park, May 17 2014

Tribolumenescence http://en.wikipedia...i/Triboluminescence
Wikipedia Entry [Cedar Park, May 17 2014]

X-Rays from Adhesive Tapes http://www.technolo...e-with-scotch-tape/
MIT Technology Review [Cedar Park, May 17 2014]

Original findings from 2008, Nature magazine http://www.nature.c...news.2008.1185.html
[not_morrison_rm, May 17 2014]

[link]






       Gosh how those six years have gone by....
not_morrison_rm, May 17 2014
  

       If you want illumination, why not just set fire to the tape ? Flames ... flaamess ... FLAAAMEESSSS .... MUHWHAHAHAHAHA ...   

       Ahem.
8th of 7, May 17 2014
  

       Oddly similar to "Illumination, burn, burn, burn brightly..." Killing Joke, Death and Resurrection Show, 2003
not_morrison_rm, May 17 2014
  

       The sound effects of the glues being released would be cool too. Big fat sticky bun and a big halfbakery hello to Cedar Park. Y'all stick around now, you hear?
blissmiss, May 17 2014
  

       Hi all. I saw this article somewhere, and thought of this invention, but realized how truly haf-baked it was when I imagined a huge array of tape rolls, crank handle and gears for what will be at best a mediocre flashlight, and no better than the crappiest hand-cranked variety. What is unknown is how many times the roll can be rewound to keep the light going. Dust and adhesive breakdown will be the enemy.   

       The weirdest part is that they think there might even be an element of nuclear fusion going on here, and they don't know why.
Cedar Park, May 18 2014
  

       It is really, really difficult to find something that hasn't been done on here, so don't worry about it....happens to me far too often...   

       I saw the article in Nature, and wrote some poor idea (Personal orbital ABM satellite), and an even poorer short story incorporating it.   

       //Dust and adhesive breakdown   

       Ah, getting all theological if we're talking Pullman-type Dust..   

       I think sonoluminescence is kind of cool, but heavier to cart around than sticky tape, and not too kind on the goldfish.
not_morrison_rm, May 18 2014
  
      
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