Presenting the geekiest beachwear ever: the solar-powered swimsuit. The suit uses conductive thread and thin photo-voltaic panels, creating a sort of chain-mail fabric that gives the bikini a medieval armor-meets-21st century look. The solar power absorbed by the panels charges any gadget that can be plugged into the suit’s USB ports, sewn right into the fabric.
The outer surface of the bikini is covered with 1 x 4-inch (25.4 x 101.6 mm) flexible photovoltaic cells from PowerFilm Solar, which are precision hand-stitched onto the base material using conductive thread. Photon bombardment sends the electrons down to a 5V DC terminator and onward to a female USB connector for device attachment. The output is said to be comparable to a laptop’s USB port, as is the time it takes to charge an MP3 player or mobile phone.
As no energy is actually stored in the bikini, the designer says that wearers can even go for a swim while sporting the high-tech bikini, although charging while going for a dip is not recommended. Once back from the water, the Solar Bikini needs to be completely dried before any device is attached, or it won’t function properly.
Of course, spending a good length of time under a blazing sun is not terribly good news for the skin, and a healthy combination of effective sunscreen and common sense is advised.
The cost of each Solar Bikini will vary according to the design, but it’s not going to be a cheap clean energy charging solution for your portable devices. Schneider told us that "you can expect anywhere from US$500 to US$1,500 and up."
Schneider is in the process of creating a men’s swimsuit using the same technology to chill beers, cutely-dubbed the iDrink.