Category: Gadgets


Orange shows off solar tent concept for the outdoor enthusiasts

June 25th, 2009 | Posted in Solar
Solar power generating fabric generates electricity during the day. (Image credit: Orange)

Solar power generating fabric generates electricity during the day. (Image credit: Orange)

UK telecom company Orange unveiled a solar tent concept at the Glastonbury music festival in the UK. Apart from the interesting domed design of the tent, the major innovation is the use of flexible thin-film solar technology to covert the top surfaces of the tent with electricity generating solar cells. There is no need to emphasize why this sort of application would be useful for campers, but let's simply mention night light, electronic gadget charging, flashlight battery charging, heating…

The concept involves weaving especially coated solar threads into the fabric, making a solar power generative surface and a flexible tent material at the same time. The Concept Tent, as it's called, uses this technology with three directional glides which can be moved throughout the day to maximise its solar efficiency. This way the tent is able to capture the optimum amount of energy, which can be used throughout the tent in various ways.

You can't miss it in the night. (Image credit: Orange)

You can't miss it in the night. (Image credit: Orange)

In case you are camping in a larger camp area, with many other campers pitching their tents, it's easy to get lost, especially in night hours, after an exciting festival evening. Concept Tent solves this by glowing in the dark. The so called "glo-cation" works by implementing mobile SMS or RFID detection, which once activated makes the tent glow, guiding the "lost" owner back home.

The tent posseses a wireless control hub which is able to display generated and consumed energy data, as well as providing WiFI internet access. Neat! Info is displayed on a flexible touchscreen LCD display. It further features wireless charging pouches for smaller devices such as mobile phones, PMPs, etc. The tent's groundsheet contains embedded heating elements, which are also controled through the central hub. The Concept Tent has been designed as a celebration of the 11th year of Orange's presence at the Glastonbury festival.

And now the cold shower – you can't purchase the tent, it's just a concept, and there is no announcement about whether it will be available any time soon to the general public. We'll just have to wait. In the meantime, the backpack stays the same bloated back breaker, full of necessary camping gadgets.


Sharp introduces solar modules for mobile devices – the thinnest available in the industry

May 26th, 2009 | Posted in Solar
Sharp's new ultra-thin solar module for mobile devices. (Image credit: Sharp)

Sharp's new ultra-thin solar module for mobile devices. (Image credit: Sharp)

Sharp Corp. has developed and will soon introduced to the global market the new solar module meant for mobile devices, or rather for charging mobile devices. The new LR0GC02 is only 0.8 mm thick, and is the thinnest such product in the industry. Mobile devices are seeing explosive growth, and one of the main issues is having power available on the go. Solar energy is one of the possible solutions for providing basically an endless supply of electricity for you mobile device's battery, which makes it truly a welcome travel companion.

The new solar module makes use of the compact semiconductor packaging technology, which enables the modules to be just 0.8 mm thick. The cells are based on polycrystalline silicon and can deliver up to 300 mW. Additionally, the electrode pattern on the modules can be modified to meet the needs of mobile device manufacturers, which allows for greater freedom in mobile device design.

SunPower announced iPhone monitoring application for – another way to monitor solar electricity information

May 18th, 2009 | Posted in Solar
Image credit: SunPower

Image credit: SunPower

The new iPhone/iPod Touch monitoring application is part of SunPower's existing Monitoring Services, offered to their customers as a tool for keeping track of information related to electricity generated by the installed SunPower solar modules at the user's location – yard, rooftop, etc. A user can easily see energy savings on an hourly, monthly and annual basis.

SunPower already supplied their customers with in-home wall-mounted wireless enabled LCD monitor systems which provide power production and cumulative energy information. The fact that is accessible over the internet from just about anywhere makes it quite useful. Now, with the addition of the iPhone application, customers will truly be able to access all the solar energy info they need while on the go.

The application is available for download from Apple's App Store. Existing and new customers can use it immediately, while prospective customers can download a demo to try it out and see how it works.

Home theater systems powered purely by solar energy

April 20th, 2009 | Posted in Solar

Probably one of the most expected developments in the lower solar power market – home entertainment systems powered entirely by solar power. Home Theater Specialists of America (HTSA) developed a home theater system that is not only a collection of the latest HD equipment, but relies on solar power to bring hours of entertainment to your average HD audio/video enthusiast.

Basically, the system features a solar power generator which outputs about 700 W of power per hour, in sunlight naturally. This will run things for about 19 hours straight, without having to turn to thetraditional power grid for more juice. As far as hardware is concerned, the system features a 100-inch screen, Sharp projector, six in-wall speakers, AV receiver, lighting, and a universal remote. Here's a video featuring the power saving entertainment center:

Now, if you have a servant robot, also powered by solar power, which can bring you ecologically cooled beer, that would be a complete eco-friendly couch experience. Just don't forget to recycle! ;)

Kyoto Box winner of FT Climate Change Challenge

April 9th, 2009 | Posted in Solar

It's simple, it's made of recyclable material, and it can be used to boil water or cook food. It's called the "Kyoto Box" (after the Kyoto Protocol), and it costs about 5 EUR to produce. It made the inventor US$ 70,000. Here's a schematic of the "device", and a diagram of the temperatures the box can produce and the corresponding action that can go with it.

Image credit: <a href=

Image credit: someone on Flickr

Basically, it uses solar energy to concentrate solar heat within the box, and thus anything in it is exposed to high temperatures. Since it uses solar, and provides a heat source that would otherwise come from a "not so clean" energy source, it qualifies to be shown here, under Solar.

The developer of the award winning box, Jon Boehmer (a Norwegian, based in Kenya), said the invention will save live as well as save trees. He will performs trial of the product in ten countries, among which Indonesia, India and South Africa.

The FT Climate Change Challenge was backed by Financial Times, Hewlett-Packard, and development group Forum for the Future. Other finalists in the contest were a garlic-based feed additive that cuts methane emissions from livestock, an indoor cooling system using hollow tiles, fuel consumption reducing truck wheel covers, and a giant industrial microwave for making charcoal.

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