Environment

Sound Charge t-shirt tops up mobile devices using sound

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Orange and GotWind have developed a prototype mobile device charging t-shirt that uses Piezoelectric film to convert sound waves into electric charge
Orange and GotWind have developed a prototype mobile device charging t-shirt that uses Piezoelectric film to convert sound waves into electric charge
Showing how the Sound Charge t-shirt works
The A4-sized panel of Piezoelectric film converts sound waves into electrical charge via interlaced quartz crystals, this is fed into a small battery and onward to a connected mobile device
The development team reckons that the t-shirt will generate up to 6Wh of power when exposed to sound levels of around 80dB
View gallery - 4 images

Visitors to the UK's best-known music festival are almost guaranteed three things - mud, loud music and a dead mobile device battery. Happily, Orange has increased the number of Chill 'n' Charge tents to help make sure lines of communication stay open and - in what is now becoming as much of a tradition as Glastonbury itself - the company has announced the development of a new green charging technology. Previous projects have included a Power Pump and last year's Orange Power Wellies, and the latest prototype charger is no less impressive. As the name may indicate, the Sound Charge t-shirt turns sound waves into electric charge, allowing the wearer to top up a device battery while thrashing around in the mosh pit.

Produced in partnership with renewable energy designers GotWind, the Sound Charge t-shirt prototype's modified A4-sized panel of Piezoelectric film at the front is said to act like an oversized microphone, absorbing sound waves and converting them via the compression of interlaced quartz crystals into an electrical charge. This is then fed into a small external reservoir battery (with visuals that pulse in time with the music) and the wearer can then pop a mobile phone or smartphone into the pocket above the panel, connect it up to the reservoir and top up the device battery using sound.

"In a vibrant festival environment such as Glastonbury, sound is such an obvious medium that it seemed like a natural fit to use it in the development of this year's prototype," said Andrew Pearcey from the UK wing of Orange, France Telecom Group's key brand.

The A4-sized panel of Piezoelectric film converts sound waves into electrical charge via interlaced quartz crystals, this is fed into a small battery and onward to a connected mobile device

The development team reckons that the t-shirt will generate up to 6Wh of power when exposed to sound levels of around 80dB - that's about the same noise level as a bustling city street and will not pose too much of a problem for Glastonbury Festival-goers. The reservoir should then get enough energy to fully charge two standard mobile phone or one smartphone, although wearers would most likely use it for a quick top up rather than a full charge.

Orange says that an interchangeable cable ensures compatibility with most brands, and the panel and electronics can be removed prior to washing - an important consideration for those attending a music festival. The Sound Charge t-shirts will undergo live testing around the Spirit of 71 stage, to see which of the acts prove most charge-friendly.

"Sound vibrations, particularly bass frequencies, will create enough shaking to produce electricity from a material as simple as piezoelectric film," said Spirit of 71's Tony Andrews. "It looks like it could provide a real solution to mobile charging and I'm interested to see how the Orange Sound Charge performs in a live testing environment such as Glastonbury."

I think that this is another great example of providing juice for mobile devices without impacting on the environment. If I was to voice any criticism at these innovations from Orange, it's that I can't get my hands on any of them - they're created to inspire future development rather than lead directly to consumer product manufacture. So, for now at least, music lovers will just have to take a solar charger along and hope that the typical Somerset festival downpour gives way to sunnier skies.

Festival and t-shirt updates will appear on the company's Glastonbury blog.

Meanwhile, the following video gives a short developmental overview:

View gallery - 4 images
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6 comments
Mr Stiffy
Another stupid marketing gimmick.
Bill Bennett
gotta agree Mr Stiffy, yes the phone is charged and you can\'t hear, yeah eyeroll :)
Slowburn
Interesting tech. It could be used in any noisy place to power emergency lights, exit signs, and such.
Jørgen Jakob Friis
Give these shirts to those that work in kindergartens and the energy crisis of the entire planet should be solved...
Mr Stiffy
Despite my cynicism, at the marketing gimmickness of it all there is one issue I failed to consider - it does generate power.
What is it\'s effiency in terms of the Sound Pressure Level / watts - Decibells - input to it\'s output?
In terms of MAKING electricity - how does it rate against the POWER used to spin generators and their output, and the pressure (cyclic force) applied to it and the peizo electric conversion efficiency?
Can it be made as durable as say a set of copper windings on an armature etc?
How does this compare to say the solar cells on the market today?
What is the room or direction for development and application?
Just because someone made the WORKING technology and applied it to a fabric garment - does not mean I should let myself get away with shit canning the idea from the outset.
This technology and it\'s application, actually needs FULL consideration.
It actually is brilliant.
stoni2041
This is awesome! Wonder if this was combined with an oscillator to generate the db you need to get power would give you more out then in...I bet it would. Yay for piezoelectricity! Good to see people finally beginning to use this century old technology.