Solar powered clothing

August 19th, 2008 by Dave@LGUK
 

Solar panels are appearing on everything these days, and in one of those nice blends of tech and fashion, it appears they’re now appearing on clothes to help you charge your mobile or your gadgets – thus saving you the perils of a flat battery.

On the left is a solar powered tie that I found via Phones Review: academics at Iowa State University – the panels provide power for a phone charger (which you just pop in a pocket behind the tie). It wasn’t just a case of gluing on some panels – they had to make sure the tie could be flexible and the stitching stay durable enough for daily use. That said I’m not convinced – people can be very choosy about their ties and what they say about themselves (such as this fellow) and solar panel black may not be to everyone’s taste.

Meanwhile, on the right (via GadgetLite) the Iowans’ counterparts at North Carolina State University have a prototype solar panel jacket that incorporates the panel into the fabric of the back. This might be a bit better – the back is bigger (so more area and quicker charging) and less obtrusive. You could even have the panels coloured (although the colours they’ve chosen aren’t to my taste) and the potential for custom logos & slogans abounds. What other possibilities are there?

You might like these related articles

Tags: , , ,

Posted in General
  • http://www.earth4energyguide.com DIY Solar Panels

    sounds like a great gadget! do you know how much energy it can produce? will it be enough to power a laptop? or charge a cell phone?

  • sports apparel

    wow great idea. Is there a website address ?

  • http://www.footballsportsapparel.com sports apparel

    Please tell me where i can purchase these products in the uk !

  • http://www.lgblog.co.uk Helen

    Hi sports apparel, I don’t think these items are available to buy yet, think they’re more concepts than actual products. I was unable to find any sales links..

    I did find this though, it might make for an interesting read:
    http://www.tx.ncsu.edu/jtatm/volume4issue3/digital_printing.htm

  • http://elegancepiece.com Fashionista

    Wow it”s a nice concept. How much?

  • http://discountbeddingsets.org/ Discount Bedding Sets

    That looks really awesome. A solar power necktie is perfect to store energy while you are outdoors. I hope this kind of gadget is available on international markets.

  • http://diysolarpanels4.org/ diy solar power

    Great! Thank for information, I'm looking for it for a long time.

  • http://www.laptopbatteriesinc.ca/ laptop Battery

    Replacement Dell Inspiron 6000 Laptop Battery UK , 11.1V,6 cell (4400mah), 9 cell (6600mah), 12 cell (7200mah)

  • http://www.universityofwhatever.co.uk/ University Clothing

    hahha..u mean gadget lol..it looks the world now is in new generation…

  • http://solar-power-renewable-energy.com diy solar panels

    That is a genuine great idea, not sure if it will create a fad though.. jim

  • http://build-home-solar-panel.com/diy-solar-water-heating-panels DIY Solar Water Heating Panels

    Solar panels are very flexible. On this article, it shows that it can even be incorporated in t-shirt as a form of art. This means that with solar panels, there is so much you can do, including heating up water system in your home.

  • http://www.solarlamppostonline.com/solar-powered-lamp-post/solar-powered-lamp-post-as-well-as-snowfall/ solar powered lamp post

    I’ll back again for sure, thanks for great article :D

  • http://www.exclusiv-home.de/Kategorie/5/Solaranlagen.htm Exclusiv-Home

    Fantastic Idea! Need some mor Information about these Product. Cost?

  • Anonymous

    Green Solar Power works with only the most reputable distributors of renewable energy equipment and energy efficient and eco-friendly products to make sure the best feasible customer experience.
    solar power

blog comments powered by Disqus