Researchers at Nottingham Trent University, U.K., have invented textiles embedded with more than a thousand miniature solar cells that can charge a smart watch or mobile phone.
These cells have the capacity to harness 400 milliwatts of electrical energy from the sun and can be easily incorporated into a piece of clothing such as a jacket or used as part of an accessory such as a backpack.
The textiles are engineered to handle the same forces as everyday clothing and can even be washed in a machine at 40°C with other laundry without being damaged.
The tiny solar cells measure 5 mm in length and 1.5 mm in width and are embedded in a waterproof polymer resin. They cannot be felt by the wearer, making them comfortable and practical to wear.
“This prototype gives an exciting glimpse of the future potential for e-textiles,” said Dr. Theodore Hughes-Riley, associate professor of Electronic Textiles at the Nottingham School of Art & Design’s Advanced Textiles Research Group (ATRG).
“Electronic textiles really have the potential to change people’s relationship with technology, as this prototype shows how we could do away with charging many devices at the wall. This is an exciting development which builds on previous technologies we have made and illustrates how it can be scaled up to generate more power.”
The new material’s solar cells are made from silicon making them breathable and chemically stable. Furthermore, experiments indicated that the material generated a power output of 335.3 mWatts in 0.86 sunlight and up to 394 mWatts in 1.0 sunlight.
Wearable tech is already surpassing smartphones as the fastest-growing tech innovation, and this invention is sure to turn some heads. In addition to being very practical and useful it can be engineered to also be quite stylish, a win-win on all aspects.
Image – This textile can charge your phone. Courtesy of: Nottingham Trent University.
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