SOLAR POWERED MOUSE – The Sole Mio
by Jorge Chapa, 08/16/07
In the future, everything will be powered by photovoltaics. The latest gadget to be turned into a solar powered device is the PC Mouse, thanks to the Researchers at the Delft University of Technology. Able to be charged in about 1.5 hours if in contact with direct sunlight, the mouse should provide much needed relief from the use of batteries.
Realizing that most office workers might need to change their habits in order to use one, they have developed 15 prototypes and given them to computer users to if this idea is fesible. One of the first test subjects is the Dutch Minister Cramer of the Ministry for Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment who was on hand to receive one of the first prototypes. If the prototype is succesful and the solar mouse becomes the norm, it could save over several hundred million batteries from being dumped into landfills. Granted, the mouse prototype is still limited by the cost and embodied energy of the photovoltaics, but it is hoped that in time, the technology will become feasible.
Via Core77
Of course the design begs the question….hw does it charge if your hand is using the mouse? Do you have to leave a light on to charge it? How is that saving electricity?….