Plugging into Play

Chances are good that you’ve done it at some point in your life. Maybe alone, maybe on a team, maybe without thinking about, or maybe while thinking too much about it, you’ve  kicked or thrown or bounced a ball. That was the beginning of Jessica Matthews and Julia Silverman’s innovative energy company, Uncharted Play. Founded in 2011, Matthews and Silverman both spend time in developing countries before coming up with their key concept: a ball that doubles as a portable generator.

Dubbed the sOccket Ball, the invention uses the kinetic energy of play to create and store usable electricity. The newest iteration of the ball, which currently comes only in a soccer ball version, though a basketball is under development, can be used to power things like LED lamps, water purifiers, and other small, electronic devices. Uncharted Play has teamed up with local organizations to promote the ball and teach people how to use it; so far they have distributed more than 2,500 balls to Mexico, El Salvador, Nigeria, Haiti and Costa Rica.

Not only is the sOccket Ball innovative from a technical standpoint, but Matthews and Silverman had the foresight to address another common problem with sport balls, especially those that experience frequent use: wear and tear. The average sport ball can be punctured or otherwise destroyed in a matter of months. The sOccket Ball is not only made of ninety-five percent recycled materials, it can never be deflated and has a projected lifespan of three to fifteen years. And after only fifteen minutes of play, the sOccket Ball can power a light for up to three hours.

The founders of Uncharted Play are not resting on their success, however. A team of engineers is already hard at work on a new version of the sOccket Ball, working not only to make it more efficient and effective, but better inline with traditional soccer balls (it weighs slightly more and lacks some of the give). Whatever they come up with, Jessica Matthews and Julia Silverman have already scored a goal for green, sustainable electricity.