Orange Sound Charge: Eco-friendly Glastonbury garb
Each year Orange come up with a barmy, green-friendly gadget to coincide with the UK’s Glastonbury music festival. For instance, last year they revealed the “Hot Stepper Power Wellies” that charged mobile phones just by using the heat from your feet. They’ve really out-done themselves this year though; this morning they have revealed the Orange “Sound Charge” t-shirt that powers your mobile phone by using sound waves!
Using the same piezoelectric film that’s found in hi-fi speakers, the Sound Charge absorbs the kinetic energy of sound waves, which are then converted by quartz crystals into charge stored in a connected battery.
Orange have calculated that sound levels at Glastonbury will average out at around 80dB over the weekend generating 6 watt hours of power. So, if you wear the shirt at all times and have your phone sitting in the front pouch connected to the charging pin, you should be able to fully power two regular mobile phones or one smartphone.
We can’t think of a better place to test the Sound Charge, though wearing an item of clothing that’s powering an electrical current during Glastonbury’s almost customary downpours may not end with the desired results!
Check it out in action in the video above.
