From the world of crowdfunding meets solar powered gadgets we earlier this week covered the rather extravagant ZingBox retro solar boom box. We now turn to something a little smaller and more practical in scope – a solar charging wristband that doubles as a night light.
The Sol Cuff, as its designer Lawrence Boysen calls it, is designed to charge all of your mobiles devices “conveniently from your wrist” via a gadget that looks like something you’d wear if you were starring in a science fiction flick. Could it become a fashion accessory? That’s hard to say, but for the convenience factor alone of always having something to charge your iPhone it might be worth wearing.
image via Sol Cuff
Said to harvest solar energy using “normal everyday lighting exposure,” this solar bracelet sports a mini-USB port that you run a cable from to connect to your device. As for what kind of performance you can expect from it, that’s not entirely clear at this point. A recent prototype, sporting six small solar panels, gave about a “68% charge in an hour,” but as Boysen points out, it “also takes longer to recharge using solar energy.”
What will more likely be of use with this gadget are the built-in, radial illuminating LEDs which offer a hands free lighting solution. It is bright enough to help one see at night where he or she is walking, in addition to letting motorists or others know there is a walker nearby.
As for pricing and availability, expect the Sol Cuff to likely be ready by May of 2014 for a cost of $99 per unit. It will come in one of five different body color choices, including black, white, pink, blue and green.
