We’ve seen solar picnic tables, solar lights and even rumblings that Apple might solarize its devices, but how about incorporating renewable energy into one of our favorite handheld gadgets?
Even if you can manage to live without a remote, there’s a good chance that one of your family members or friends can’t. New Jersey-based Sparkle Labs is betting on that—along with solar’s overall growth—and selling its SunMod Solar Hacking Kit online.
Though the company uses a TV remote to show how the product works, the kit allows a person to easily hack any AA- or AAA-battery-powered device to make it solar powered. Once the flexible 4.8-volt solar cell and its metal connectors are attached, the sun’s rays will charge remotes, iPod speakers, small toys and more, eliminating the need to buy more batteries.
There are plenty of videos on YouTube and other sites that provide the steps to hack a device and power it with a similar solar cell, but Sparkle Labs is attempting to make the process a bit easier, decreasing the chances for any mishaps along the way. Sparkle Labs’ store says the product is “coming soon” and retailer Grand St.’s site says the kit will be available in April 2013.
Here’s a video the company posted online when it first created the product:
Sparkle Labs was founded in 2005 after founders Ariel Churi and Amy Parness began collaborating on inventions at New York University. The company’s products are available on sites like Amazon and at various science centers and museums across the country.
Visit EcoWatch’s RENEWABLES page for more related news on this topic.
[source: http://ecowatch.com/2014/03/14/solarize-handheld-devices/]
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