UKC

Hi everyone,


My name is Immy and I am an IB DP design student (equivalent to A-level design technology) and an avid walker. For our major project (IA), I am planning on making a solar-powered phone charger for hikers and walkers. Currently, I am in the research stage and was wondering if I make this product it would be beneficial to hikers. I would really appreciate if you could take the time to share your thoughts!






Thank you!
Immy

Such things exist (market research phase of your project), so yes, it is viable. Given the increasing prevalence of electronic gizmos and multi-day activities, a source od power is needed. Solar might be a suitable source. You need to figure our use cases and alternatives, and how to make it practical.

There a million such things already in existence. All are variations of the exact same tech. I think you'll struggle to do anything new here without some major battery or solar panel innovations.

How about a charger that is a small box with two telescopic arms that strap around the upper and lower leg over trousers to generate power from the bending of the knee during walking?  This stands a chance of being useful in less sunny climes and the market isn’t saturated with them.

Simple concept, but making it comfortable and not annoying…. A worthy task!

Having just had a quick look at what is on the market, I think there might be space for something new. 

Most of the portable solar panels I've seen seem to be designed with the assumption that they can be pointed south and left outside the tent for the day but that doesn't really work for back packing. I also saw the phrase 'only weighs 2 pounds' - that's a lot of extra weight and you can carry a lot of battery capacity for 2 pounds so unless you have a very long trip that doesn't seem viable to me. How about focussing on light weight and a design to easily attach to the top of a rucksack so it can harvest the energy during the day whilst you are walking?

In in a similar theme to Wintertree's idea, how about a footbed that somehow combines heel shock absorption with power generation - maybe a very soft piezoelectric material.

I think I proposed that on an OM thread ~15 years ago...

As a relatively fast walker/ frequent runner I'd like a wind turbine for the rucsac.

That isn't necessarily the aim of this exercise. No-one expects A-level maths students to produce original work.

The point here is to demonstrate the skills of analysing the problem space, and solution space, identifying a matching market, and working to a solution. A negative outcome is just as acceptable (cf 'gate reviews'). A critical analysis of existing products, their use cases and limitations is also valuable.

The issue of whether such a product can be viable in a crowded market is also relevant to a Product Design/Development/Marketing course; do we have some USP that gives us a competitive edge, and how to do we maintain & protect that? This is all useful experience.

(Proper Marketing, that is; not Sales or Advertising...)

p.s. I've spent a 40 year career doing this, in a specific field, looking at how new technologies can be exploited to meet needs; sometimes needs that aren't even known yet. The Art of the Possible.

I would suggest designing a bag that utilises a flexible solar panel and a specific pocket in the bag for the phone with a usb C port.

I double a bag exists that's designed to have a flexible solar panel attached.

That sounds a brilliant job. What’s your best invention?

Surely you'd use more energy to overcome the drag of the turbine? I'd have thought something like a ramjet would be better. Wouldn't charge your phone but you'd get round the route quicker.

Recently there has been lots of developments on non-silicon based solar cells. They generally can't compete with silicon on cost but they have specific advantages in weight and flexibility that could potentially be specifically exploited for this application.

For example, a roll up design using a flexible solar panel could be a genuinely novel approach. 

Already done...

You'd want the turbine on your chest. That way you're using airflow that was just going to hit you anyway. Minimises the additional losses.

I did say "could be", but thanks for clarifying that it's not a particularly novel a suggestion after all!

Single day trips, the solar panel needs to be capable of delivering more charge than carrying a small power bank. You'd need to consider, phone power use over 6,8, 10... hrs , bank capacity and panel output etc..

Camping, flexible panel that can be hung on the side of a tent during the day charging a power bank, which you then use to charge your phone overnight as you sleep. 

Size and weight for both options are critical. 

Yeah great going into the wind, in theory you could run faster as that wind resistance is converted to electrical energy. But with a tail wind and the turbine on you back, you'd get less of a push. 

Now now, stop doing Immy's work for them...

Even better, have both. The chest turbine powers the rear turbine which propels you forward!

We were designing a solar powered battery charger in my 2nd year engineering back in 1994. So, as others have said, nothing new! 🙂

Wouldn't want them connected by a shaft. Far too committed