G24i and Logitech create breakthrough light powered keyboard for iPad
1 min read
G24 Innovations (G24i) and Logitech have used dye sensitised photo electric cells (DSC) to create what they claim is the world's first light powered tablet keyboard and a game changer for green consumer electronics.
The companies collaborated to produce the Solar Keyboard Folio for Apple's iPad and iPad 2, which uses Bluetooth, is free of silicon components and can be powered by any light, even lamp light.
Bracken Darrell, Logitech president, said: "This signals the future of small electronics. G24i is at the forefront of a whole new class of sustainable, self powered products that don't need charging or replacement batteries. You buy them and they need nothing but light."
G24i's DSC technology is targeted at replacing expensive and environmentally harmful disposable batteries, a global market said to be worth $80billion a year. The company is confident that its technology can keep up with the demand for increasingly power hungry applications in the future.
Robert Hertzberg, co founder and director of G24i, noted: "This is not a novelty product. This deal is an important milestone in the development of our business and its aim to displace disposable batteries with next generation energy harvesting technology."
The technology was first developed at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) by Professor Michael Graetzel. The vision was to mimic the light reaction of natural photosynthesis.
Professor Graetzel commented: "By leveraging a renewable energy source that is readily available, G24i and Logitech can change the face of consumer electronics. I anticipate that this is the first of a series of successful green products."
