The headphones that charge your phone!

A new pair of headphones is set to do away with the frustrating battery life of phones and tablets by doubling up as a solar-powered charger. The OnBeat headphones have a flexible solar cell built into the headband which captures energy from the sun, which is stored in two rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries in each ear cup. When a phone or tablet is plugged into the headphones, this stored energy can be used to charge the devices. The headphones have been designed by audio engineer Andrew Anderson from Glasgow. He created the prototype by attaching a solar panel to an existing pair of headphones, before developing the flexible solar cell. Anderson has now set up a Kickstarter campaign to raise £200,000 to fund the OnBeat project. The solar cell has a surface area of 55cm3 with a charge capacity of approximately 0.55W and is made from poly-crystalline silicone. The Kickstarter campaign claims that this will ‘keep your devices running all day’ but the exact amount of charge is not listed. The headphones specification does add that they provide a full battery recharge for a mobile phone. The phone doesn’t charge through the headphone jack, it is connected to the headphones using a USB port. When it’s raining, the wearer can charge the batteries using this USB port connected to a socket or computer before leaving the house. This energy can then be used to charge the phone when out and about. Anderson said: ‘We have been working hard for the last year to develop a set of headphones that not only provides excellent sound quality, but simultaneously re-charges your mobile devices on the go. ‘The integration of rechargeable batteries and a full headband solar panel means that wherever you go you will be able to keep your devices running all day.’ He began developing the product in 2012 after getting frustrated with the length of his phone’s battery life. Along with the solar panel, Anderson said he wanted the audio to be high-quality: ‘From the offset we not only wanted to develop a product to keep your devices going all day, but a product that would give you a superb sound from low range for bass, mid-range for precision DJ’ing and high-range for vocal and acoustic excellence.’ The OnBeat headphones have audio impedance of 32 +/- 10% Ohm and a frequency response of 20hz to 20,000Khz. They additionally have a sensitivity of 100 +/- 3 dB. The headphones also have an integrated remote for controlling the volume of the music in your ears. Anderson plans to sell each pair of headphones for around £119 when they go on sale in February next year.