For over one fifth of 
 the global population,
this darkness is 
 a permanent reality,
and I wanted to 
 make a difference.
The ultimate goal is 
 to actually deploy Harvest
so people across the world,
especially in 
 Third World countries,
can have access to electricity.
I started off by experimenting 
 with this piezoelectric effect,
and it's just this one energy 
 harvesting phenomenon.
They produce an electrical charge
when applied with some form 
 of mechanical stress.
Harvest was definitely not 
 one of those
"light bulb moment" type ideas.
I realised, what if we could apply 
 this piezoelectric effect
to not only harvesting 
 direct mechanical stress
of, like, people's footsteps
but also in direct mechanical stress
 such as the wind itself,
and that's when I decided to apply 
 the piezoelectric effect with wind.
It can be used, like, 
 kind of like solar panels
to kind of integrate 
 renewable energy harvesting
into the urban landscape.
Having more efficient 
 piezoelectric materials,
that can definitely improve 
 the power output
and make it more scalable.
The next issue is actually funding 
 and scaling
and finding that perfect partner
to really make sure 
 it reaches people.
Initially while starting off,
Harvest produced very, 
 very low amounts of power.
At that time, 
 I could have easily given up,
and I was losing hope by that point,
because obviously I wanted 
 to create something
that could be practical 
 and applicable to people.
But I kept on going.
Just go for it,
because there is a lot of issues 
 we sometimes face.
We might not be confident 
 in ourselves,
and other people might not even be 
 confident in you,
but the main thing is 
 you've got to believe in your idea,
and at least try.
Whether that's through building 
 a prototype with household materials
or just sketching out an idea.
I think it's really important 
 to take a shot for it,
because you never know what 
 difference it can make.
