Never again will laptop users be limited to their power cables when their devices run short of battery life. This solar powered laptop helps the environment and its user as it runs on renewable energy.
Named Luce, which is Italian for light, this remarkable laptop concept was recognized in the recent Fujitsu Design Awards 2011. The credit can be given to its brilliant designer, Andrea Ponti. For the past years, he has been collaborating with Japanese designers with various industrial projects. Luce is only one of his many interesting creations.
Luce contains two solar panels, one on the laptop’s surface, and the other beneath the keyboard. The specialized keyboard is actually see-through, to allow the panels to recharge even as the user types and surfs the web. Luce is also designed to gather solar energy even when it is in standby mode. The laptop’s body is created with polycarbonate, eliminating the need for toxic metals and other substances. One of the key features of the contest entry is its sustainability as a device for daily use.
According to Ponti, recent events like the Japan earthquake and the nuclear crisis are a wakeup call for product designers to make use of renewable energy in their concepts. In this way, even when a disaster strikes, people will still be able to communicate, whether there is electricity or not.
Luce, the solar powered laptop, explores the possibility of people not being limited when it comes to using their computers. Wherever they may be, their laptops can harness energy from the sun for a clean and unlimited source of power.
As mentioned before, Ponti’s eco-friendly design was shortlisted from thousands of entries from the Fujitsu Design Awards 2011. Other fascinating entries worth checking out include the following: Bento by Rene Lee, EcoPad touch charging tablet, and the wooden Tray concept by Swinton.
