With the snow coming down fast this time of year, we can’t help but dream of laying on the beach listening to our iPod and relaxing. But how to keep it charged? If we had this handy pair of designer sunglasses, we could keep our iPod or other iDevice fully charged while basking in the sun or walking around town. Designed by Hyun-Joong Kim and Kwang-Seok Jeong, these slick “Self-Energy Converting Sunglasses” feature dye solar cells that are integrated into their lenses. Although perhaps not as fun as using a yo-yo to charge your devices, this solar solution is probably a heck of a lot more practical and stylish to boot.
Jeong and Kim’s power-generating glasses are composed of a “cheap organic dye [that uses] nano technology [to provide] cheap but high energy efficiency.” The sunglass lenses can collect and convert enough energy from the sun to power small devices connected by a power jack at the back of the frame.
We expect to see solar panels integrated into more and more devices in the coming years. We’ve already seen photovoltaics used in bags, backpacks, lawnmowers, and cars, so these sunglasses are no surprise. As solar technology becomes more advanced and lightweight, sunglasses like these may even become the norm. It’s also a good thing that huge sunglasses are in style now, because that means there is more surface area for energy collection.
