Three years ago during a competition at Iowa State University, USA, Mechanical Engineering Student Joe Hyneck invented a handbag – with a twist!
This handbag can charge your mobile, blackberry, i-pod or any other similar device, simply by soaking up the sun.
Joe's vision was to merge technology with fashion, creating a stylish yet useful and eco-friendly product. And by looking at this hot little beauty, he pulled it off.
The Power Purse by Solarjo, uses laminated solar panels made of photovoltaic film. The panels draw energy from the sun, converting this energy into the electricity needed to charge small electronic devices. (Just thought I’d give you a little lesson in solar power! No need to thank me!)
The power is transmitted to a circuit board attached to two batteries, cleverly hidden in the bag's lining. The batteries are connected to a USB port which protrudes through the bag's lining to allow your electronic devices to be plugged in.
After 2 hours of sun-seeking, the Power Purse can fully charge a mobile phone battery. Pretty neat! The handbag is designed so that it can sit on a sunny windowsill, charging your mobile or other device before you go out. So you don't have to worry about your mobile battery dying in the middle of that crucial call.
However, I wondered what happens when the bag's batteries eventually run out? Are they re-chargeable? Or do they need to be replaced at extra cost? And after shelling out £150 for a handbag, I doubt many owners would be too happy with this.
I tried to check this out on Solarjo’s website, but no joy. So I contacted Solarjo to try and find out, but have yet to receive a response. I suppose for now, it will remain a mystery. But it’s a great concept and will come in handy for those women who don’t mind paying out a lot on handbags.
Keep an eye out for the Power Purse, which is due for release later this year.
For more details, check out Solarjo.com
3 thoughts on “Power Purse: Handbags just got hotter!”
I love eco-friendly gadgets and this is stylish and practical at the same time. What a great find!
Great idea for us girls but to fork out £150 it’ll need to look good as well.
What about a male alternative? I know that the whole ‘manbag’ idea is really picking up so a solar powered man bag could be handy!
I believe Solarjo have also designed things like a solar jacket – the stripes on the jacket were actually solar panels. And I believe the same has also been done with a solar tie. In the pic I saw, a mobile was being tucked in the back of a guy’s tie to charge!