TECHNOLOGIES
Prototype and social implementation of handmade plastic bottle lanterns with colored lightemitting diodes, milk, and water for disaster preparedness
In recent years, natural disasters have occurred almost annually in Japan, causing great damage. Power outages in disasterstricken areas have occasionally forced victims to resort to outdoor campfires or indoor candles for lighting. Prolonged bad weather during such events makes it difficult to safely secure lighting, which could have a negative influence on people’s health. To address this issue, we used white light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as the light source and fabricated handmade lanterns by filling a 500 mL plastic bottle with tap water and adding 1–2 drops of milk. In this study, an LED light source casing was constructed using a three-dimensional printer, achieving a stable light scattering effect. Red, green, blue, and yellow LEDs were used for the lantern, considering people’s preferences for colored handmade lanterns. An additional light source case was easily made from cardboard, and a bamboo light source case was also constructed.