Paper Torch Is a Rollable Flashlight for the Design Enthusiast

A good flashlight is an indispensable part of any hacker’s everyday carry arsenal. Flashlights come in handy in all sorts of situations — whether it’s finding that screw you accidentally dropped into your computer case, finding that screw you dropped on your shag carpet, or finding that screw you swear was just in your hand but now seems to have disappeared into the void. For this important tool, most of us turn to the flashlights built into our phones, or one of those LED keychain lights that we always end up with after a convention.

Now there’s another option from Japanese design house Nendo: a rollable paper flashlight. The Paper Torch concept uses special paper (YUPO by Takeo) that can be printed with flexible circuits. Two button cell batteries and seven LEDs are affixed to the circuits using conductive adhesive. When the paper is rolled into a tube, the circuit is completed and the light turns on.

The circuits were printed using a unique checkerboard pattern that allows the resistance to be varied depending on how tightly rolled the paper is. Roll it up really tight, and the resistance is lowered and you get a really bright light. Hold it loosely, and the resistance is increased and the LEDs become dimmer.

Nendo has also designed a series of stands and hangers to turn the flashlight into desk lamps or pendant lights. We’re not sure if they intend to actually produce the Paper-Torch — more than likely it will remain a concept. But, it sure is a pretty concept.