Tag: Solar

Everything is going “green” today, and that’s a good thing. TVs are increasingly using green tech, which is better for the environment and costs you less to run the set. However, I am getting a bit bored by companies that put out TVs and brag on the green features when those features are commonplace today.

Despite its disproportionate body-to-wingspan ratio, there’s something ever so graceful about a dragonfly in the air. Now, thanks to the guys at Japan’s Tamiya, you can can watch these amazing natural creations any time the sun is shining.

As much as I love all the bells-and-whistles of my shiny new iPhone 3GS, I have to say that there’s still never enough battery life to get through the entire day of usage — on my terms.

While I’ve been waiting a really long time for the Alien Abduction Lamp to finally get mass-produced, I guess I’ll have to settle for this glowing green orb lamp from Japan for now. These little spherical lamps sure look like some sort of retro spacecraft to me, especially the glowing green part, and the tripod legs.

Sanyo’s latest gadget is perfect for people who go on long trips as well as those who journey to places without readily available electricity. But even simple urban people can still benefit from having a portable solar charger.

Carnegie Mellon roboticist Dr. William Whittaker collaborated with Astrobiotic Technology to create a solar-powered unmanned rover that will revisit the Apollo landing site in 2011. The robotic explorer will be sent to look at the materials left behind by the astronauts to see how the lunar environment has affected them.

Ever find yourself out in the middle of nowhere with not a single drop of power left in your digital gadgets? Then you might just have to grab the new Freeloader Pro, a compact device designed to charge up your portable electronics with the power of the sun.

The Nintendo DS Lite boasts pretty decent battery life when fully charged… but why charge it at all? Slap a few solar panels on that bad boy and stop worrying where you left your charger. Not sure how to accomplish such a feat?

These dynamic modern lights from Japan create a cool glow in any space without need for connecting them to an external power source. Kyouei Design’s Mobile Lights store solar energy during the day, and automatically turn on when its dark.

While this pyramid-shaped car might look pretty goofy, it’s actually an energy-efficient electric vehicle which laughs in the face of today’s gas guzzlers. And with gasoline costing upwards of $4 bucks a gallon these days, anything that runs on alternative energy seems like a welcome change.

If you don’t happen to have enough room for one of those 22-foot tall styrofoam robots to defend the homestead, that’s okay. Thanks to the wild and wonderful creations of robot insect builder TinyMinds, you can get your hands on some little robots which should do the trick just as well.

This huge LED screen displays mesmerizing patterns of light and video to passersby. But the really amazing thing about the enormous wall of light is that it’s completely self-sustaining. That is, the light panels themselves harness the energy of the sun during the day to power a colorful light show at night.

When I came across the Life Clock a few days back, I thought that the idea of a clock that gradually ticked away the years of your life was a wee bit morbid. Here’s another timepiece that’ll have you thinking even more happy thoughts.

Ahhhhh, the great outdoors. Just you and the sunshine, nature, fresh air, and… all your electronic gear? Well, it is truly possible to have it all with this solar powered digital survival kit. It comes with a 3800mAh rechargeable solar battery to keep your phone (or other preferred device) running and 12 different adapters (check for yours first in the photo before ordering!).

This portable gaming beast not only plays games from three classic Nintendo systems, it runs on the power of the sun. Out of the box, the player can handle NES/Famicom, Gameboy and Gameboy Color titles, as long as you can get the ROMs transfered to an SD card.

These wacky things out of Japan feature the likeness of Toad, the familiar mushroom character from the Super Mario games. The fun part is that these mushrooms wiggle back and forth when powered by the sun (or a desk lamp.) They’re just about 5-inches tall and make a great desktop gadget for the Mario fan in your life.