German researchers have designed sunglasses with lenses that contain semi-transparent colored cells that can recharge the phone.
The solar cells provide a range of microprocessors and two electric panels, showing the intensity of the solar light and ambient temperature, and the glasses can use some energy to operate electronic devices, such as the phone.
The technology could pave the way for its use and incorporate it into other future applications, such as merging solar cells into windows, the researchers say.
Organic solar cells that use solar energy to generate electricity are unique in their sheer strength and lightness, and can be manufactured in various shapes and colors.
These cells can be used in a wide range of applications, which do not tolerate the use of traditional silicon solar cells, which are generally heavier.
Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology designed these glasses to test how to use organic solar cells.
The "smart" sunglasses are self-powered to measure and display the degree of light and heat, and operate in indoor environments under low illumination.
The innovative 1.6-mm, 6-gram, innovative cell lenses were mounted on a commercial frame similar to the conventional sunglasses frame.
These cells are characterized by their mechanical flexibility, and can be controlled in color, transparency, shape and size, to be introduced in specific applications.
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have taken more strides towards achieving this achievement. In 2013, a team of researchers announced their design of transparent solar cells, which could turn windows and electronics into power generators.