7 Solar Sensations: From Your Pocket to the Sky
Phones, Planes, Cars and More Harness Energy from the Sun
The Tent of the Future?
If the Jetson family went camping, this is the tent they would choose.
Unveiled by French telecom giant Orange earlier this week, this solar concept tent uses specially-coated solar threads to harness the sun's energy. With that power, the tent charges gadgets that are placed in a special pouch and provides a wireless Internet signal.
The tent celebrates Orange's 11th year at the U.K.'s Glastonbury music festival and was designed with the festival-goer in mind. The U.S. product design consulting company Kaleidoscope contributed to the project, which builds on similar tents from 2003 and 2004.
To help campers find their tents in crowded music festivals at night, the tent uses so-called "glo-cation" technology. A text message sent from a cell phone triggers the tent to glow in the dark.
And once the interior temperature drops below a certain point, a heater embedded in the tent's groundsheet automatically switches on.
It all sounds pretty dreamy. But if you're a strict, no-creature comforts camper, take heart: It's all just a vision for now. No plans are underway to bring it to market yet.
Solar-Powered Bus Stations
Later this year, residents of Florence, Italy, will get to touch a piece of the future, literally.
A prototype of a solar-powered, interactive bus shelter will launch in the city in October, and researchers hope a whole system of a few thousand will follow in 2010.
Designed by architects and engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's SENSEable City Lab, the EyeStop is covered with touch-sensitive e-INK and screens.
While waiting for the bus, riders can check e-mail, monitor air quality and check out the exact location of the bus they are waiting for.
In May, San Francisco cut the ribbon on the first of its own system of solar powered bus stations. The energy powers energy-efficient lights and bus route information systems.
MUNI (San Francisco's Municipal Transportation Agency) is also testing Wi-Fi connections so that people can surf the Internet on smart phones and laptops while waiting for the bus.
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