Orange Unveils Mobile Charging Festival T-Shirt

Ahead of the upcoming Glastonbury Music Festival, mobile operator Orange is testing a T-shirt that charges mobile handsets by converting sound waves into power.

Dubbed the Orange ‘Sound Charge’ t-shirt, the prototype has been developed in conjunction with renewable energy experts at GotWind, and is set to undergo live testing at the Glastonbury Festival.

So how does a humble T-shirt charge a mobile phone? Previous attempts at eco-charging clothing and accessories utilised solar panels or relied on the movement of the user. Last June for example eWEEK Europe UK reviewed the Infinit backpack, which featured a solar panel on the outside of a backpack.

Sound-wave Absorption

The ‘Sound Charge’ t-shirt, meanwhile, makes use of an existing technology called Piezoelectric film, which is traditionally found in modern hi-fi speakers. Essentially an A4 panel of the modified film is housed inside a t-shirt, which according to Orange then acts much like an oversized microphone by ‘absorbing’ invisible sound pressure waves.

Similar technology has been suggested before by scientists in South Korea

These sound waves are converted via the compression of interlaced quartz crystals into an electrical charge, which is fed into an integral reservoir battery that in turn charges most makes and models of mobile phone.

And apparently both the T-shirt and the Piezoelectric film panel are all fully removable, so they can be washed.

A YouTube video of the t-shirt in action can be found here. (Be warned, readers sensitive to images of a scientist dancing should probably avoid this video).

The developers reckon that Glastonbury will generate sound levels of around 80dB, which is apparently the same as found on a busy street. This will apparently result in the Orange Sound Charge t-shirt generating up to 6 watt hours (W/h) of power over the course of the weekend – enough to charge two standard mobile phones or one smartphone.

“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,” Andrew Pearcey, Head of Sponsorship at Orange UK.

Womble Power?

Testing of the t-shirts will take place around the Spirit of 71 stage.

There is no word on which music acts, be it the Wombles, Coldplay, or Kool & The Gang will generate the most suitable volumes so the boffins will be on hand to advise festival goers on which ones will give their phone the quickest charge.

Of course this is not the first time Orange has produced an ingenious power charging solution ahead of the festival season. This time last year it unveiled its so-called “Orange Power Wellies” that used a “power-generating sole” to convert heat from your feet into an electrical current.

Last year also saw Finnish phone giant Nokia release its Bicycle Charger Kit, which allowed users to charge their handsets using pedal power. The unit consisted of a charger and dynamo, as well as a holder to secure the phone to the user’s bike.