Starting out as a joke about a beer chilling bikini, Andrew Schneider from New York University has created a solar power bikini that actually works. A melding of textile work and electrical engineering, 1" x 4" photovoltaic thin film solar cells have been sewn together with conductive thread. The power is then funneled through a 5V regulator and terminated into a standard female USB port. A thin connector bridges between the top and bottom of the suit to collect all power to one source. The overall power output is enough to charge a single MP3 player or cell phone, mostly due to the fact that overall surface area is rather skimpy. Although geared towards education, the Solar Bikini is currently being sold through the Solar Coterie website. Each one is custom, only $200 USD , so act fast.
Keep in mind, the number one issue with solar cells, even with thin film, is the buildup of heat in the cells themselves. Also, with the conductive thread, this suit can not get wet at all. So, no swimming or sweating allowed.
To actually deliver his original joke of cooling a beer, a male version of the solar suit will be made into a pair of board-shorts. The solar collector, with more surface area, will be able to charge a device as well as power a Peltier cooling device for chilling one drink.
Will these ever be able to enter the water? Schneider is hard are work to make it happen.
Eavesdropper
Pictures via Andrew Schneider
