Eco Factor: A solar powered shade that protects you from the sun throughout the day automatically lights up your dark nights.
Solar-powered patio umbrellas have been lighting up the eco-folk’s evenings for some time now. But Lianne van Genugten’s project for Dutch Design Awards has a flexible twist to this kind of eco-shade. Calling it SunShade, the designer has also nicknamed it as a mechanical flower as it functions just like a real flower in conjunction with sunlight. Akin to a flower thriving on a plant, this shade too spreads out open when the sun is out at its best. The flexible solar cells on the parasol gobble up sun’s energy to its fullest capacity. And as the sun sets, this nifty shade also curls up into an elegant alfresco lamp. Hold on, you don’t need to press a button to collapse this shade-cum-lamp. It is ingeniously featured with sensors to act according to the sun’s movements.
Free from the tangles of wires and cables, you can move this SunShade without any fuss.
The Dark Side: Though the shade automatically turns into a glowing lamp when the sun sets, it isn’t clear if the lamp mode can be switched off when not in use. A battery to store solar energy is mandatory to reserve all the power for illuminating the nights followed by cloudy days. Also such a solar guzzling shade can be utilized to power up few household gadgets.
Via: Inventorspot
