Gravity Lamp Lasts 200 Years, Will Gmm/r2 Torchiere Lamps Out

This Gravity Lamp by a Virginia Tech student won second place at the Greener Gadgets Design Competition this week. The idea is quite simple in theory: a mass moves slowly down a column, which generates electricity by when the potential to kinetic energy conversion of the mass falling spins a rotor. To "reset" the lamp, the user just flips the thing over and sets the process in motion again. The entire setup should last about 200 years if used only eight hours a day, but should be plenty long for anyone we know.