A unit can be produced for around $50 and batteries last about two to three years before having to be recharged, she says.
Kennedy says a unit would cost less than a torch that runs on disposable batteries, and not cause as much waste.
The units are largely recyclable, containing no hazardous substances, she says.
Kennedy originally developed Portable Light for the semi-nomadic indigenous Huichol people of Mexico, who travel hundreds of miles to religious sites or farmlands.
And she has recently showed the rugged, shower-proof devices to three remote Australian Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory, with the help of staff from the Centre for Appropriate Technology in Alice Springs.
"I was very moved to see how quickly everyone that we talked to in the bush took to the things," says Kennedy.
"You see the very obvious need that people have because they move about a lot and the power they have is not so widespread in the community."
She says the saddest part was having to take back the prototypes that people had become quite attached to.
Kennedy says the Aboriginal people she met say the lights would be useful at night for getting around, reading, dealing with broken-down cars, and getting privacy from others.
The Portable Light project was funded in collaboration with the non-profit Rocky Mountains Institute and Kennedy's trip to the remote Aboriginal communities was sponsored by Nanotechnology Victoria.
