Institute For The Future

Living in the (Power-Generating) Material World

Apple Computer has filed for a patent on a process to embed solar cells on portable devices, including (in particular) as part of the display mechanism. From the patent filing:

 

In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the solar cell layer is used for display purposes. For example, certain information regarding solar cells' functions or performances may be displayed on top of the solar cells. In some other embodiments, this information is displayed on other layers such as semi-transparent LCD displays stacked on top of the solar cells. In some cases, this information is displayed on the main display of the device. 

Okay, yay, Apple has a new technology patent. But what makes this particularly interesting and cool is that it's a strong signal of the emergence of the power-generating material world.

 

The more we think about our physical environment as a potential source of energy, the more we can innovate our way out of some serious environmental and resource problems.