Vodafone Unfurls Solar Charging Booster Brolly

Vodafone has unveiled a prototype umbrella that will charge your mobile phone, boost your 3G signal and even keep you dry.

The festival-themed gadget will be tested against the elements this weekend at the Isle of Wight Festival (which unfortunately does not boast Rihanna on the line-up).  It represents a departure for Vodafone, as green-tech festival gimmicks previously been the preserve of Orange.

Like all previous similar gimmicks, the Booster Brolly has been labelled as the “latest innovation in mobile communications” and comes with academic backers – this time from University College London (UCL).  If the sun happens to shine, Vodafone is confident that it will protect you against that as well as the more-likely rainstoms.

It even keeps you dry

“We wanted to create a practical but high tech innovation that could genuinely improve a festivalgoer’s experience,” said Danielle Crook, director of brand marketing at Vodafone. “The concept Booster Brolly does just that by merging cutting edge technology with a trusted and reliable British umbrella.”

The umbrella is an eco-friendly mobile charger, powered by a series of flexible solar panels in the canopy. It works with a range of mobile devices, which can be charged through a USB port in the handle in about three hours.

However the power generated from the panels also powers a micro antenna, which boosts the phone’s 3G signal wirelessly, meaning that anyone shielding from the rain or sun underneath will benefit. Other features include an LED torch for night-time navigation and a ‘hands-free’ smartphone cradle.

The electrical circuitry is housed in a durable carbon fibre skeleton, while a double layer win and waterproof canopy results in the obligatory protection against the weather.

Festival technology

“The custom canopy has been fitted with 12 lightweight amorphous silicon triple junction solar cells that have the ability to convert light into electricity, through a series of highly sensitive photovoltaic semiconductors,” explained Dr Kenneth Tong, lecturer in Electronic & Electrical Engineering at UCL. The current generated is then transferred, via a voltage regulator, to the handle of the umbrella where it is stored safely in high capacity rechargeable batteries, or used to directly charge a mobile device through a USB port.”

“The antenna concealed at the top of the umbrella’s central pole uses the same power source to obtain a low strength network signal,” he added. “The in-built low noise booster then amplifies this signal, within a 1-metre radius of the canopy, allowing smartphone users around the Booster Brolly to make and receive calls, exchange text messages and even browse the Internet with maximum signal strength.”

Vodafone appears to be encroaching on Orange’s domain as the provider of festival-related mobile products. Last year, the network unveiled a mobile charging festival t-shirt that converted sound waves into power, while the year before it created wellies that charged mobile devices as you danced.

Earlier this year, a group of scientists claimed that they had created a flexible lithium ion battery that could be woven into fabrics.

What do you know about Green IT? Find out with our quiz!