Don’t worry, this is not another strange solar-powered fan hat. The hat still has a built-in solar cell, but this one, the Solar Hat, is used to recharge your portable device, like cell phone, digital camera, portable music or media player, etc. According to the researchers at the recent Iowa State University press release, the hats are outfitted with exterior thin film solar panels that convert photons â€â€? units of light â€â€? into electricity. Devices then can be plugged into a battery, which collects the energy. It will also work at night, said the researchers.

If you don’t like the rice-paddy hat style features on the image above, there are another options: the cowboy-hat style and a weekender style. But if you still don’t like those two hats, you can get the Solar Purse. It uses the same technology as the Solar Hat and does the same. Well, this one probably would fit for ladies only.

Currently, the hat and the handheld purse are not able to generate enough energy to power a notebook computer. The two solar devices should become available to consumers within approximately a year, according to their inventors.

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