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Usually when we think “useful features on a dress” we think “pockets.” Cornell student Abbey Liebman is aiming to change that with solar powered outfits that will not only make you look great – they’ll also allow you to power up nearly any device you happen to be carrying. We checked in with Abbey to find out more:
What inspired the dress?
I thought about being in the middle of the desert and in need of your phone. How would you keep it charged? It fits the city lifestyle, too. We’re always on the go, and you don’t want to be slowed down because your phone is dead.
How do you use the dress to charge things? There’s a cord that you can plug into devices, it’s usually subtly hidden around the waist.
What kind of material do you use for this?
The fabric needs to be cotton because part of the technology is that the electricity from the solar panels is transmitted through the fabric itself, and then to the device.
Is it comfortable?
The outfit that I made is definitely comfortable to wear- all of the wires are hidden in the underlining of the fabric, and the usb charger is in the lining. There is a velcro flap in the lining where the USB can be taken out.
Will the power ever run out?
There is enough voltage in the coat to power a small device such as an iPod, mp3 player or cell phone, and the power doesn’t run out as the energy comes from the sun and is always replacing itself.
Can we go out and buy one now?
This is a very new technology (the outfit as well as cotton conductivity), and my dress is a prototype that I created to go along with the technology that my professor worked on. Hopefully at some point this technology will become mainstream!