Bright Ball of Heaven

Deepinder

Age 10Vancouver – BC, Canada

If you are a person that likes to play soccer at night well then the Bright Ball of Heaven is perfect for you. To activate it you just find the sticker on 1 of the lights and it turns on. This creation is for people who like to play soccer at night, and it's for boys and girls. The Bright Ball of Heaven is made with LED lights and soccer ball material. Oh and the LED lights take the place of the black spots on a regular soccer ball.

See this brought to life!

Little Inventors team says

I would love to watch a game of football with this illuminated ball and no other lights on at night. It would also be lots of fun to play! Maybe the goal posts also need to be illuminated and the shirts the players wear? It would be a beautiful spectacle. Well done and I look forward to seeing your future ideas.

This idea has been brought to life

Bright Ball of Heaven, designed by Deepinder.

Made real by Andrew Aitken at Makerlabs

Andrew Aitken is a design engineer whose skills include mechanical design, 3D modelling and taco manufacture. He works at MakerLabs. Makerlabs was born out of a vision of creating the best possible space for making. It offers access to digital and traditional tools, studio spaces and fabrication services.

Andrew says: 'As a soccer player myself, I know the heartbreak that dwindling light can have on a neighbourhood kick around that is just getting started! What an incredibly creative solution!...'

Deepinder's original drawing for the Bright Ball of Heaven

'...We wanted to capture the creativity and innovative ideas while applying real world engineering constraints. After initial attempts with an inflatable soccer ball proved to be unrealistic, a foam sphere was used as the base of the design. After testing various lighting options we decided to use electro-luminescent wire to provide a source of light robust enough to withstand years of after dark use.'

The inner workings of the Bright Ball of Heaven.