Germany’s Hohenstein Institutes will present the prototype of a men’s outdoor jacket that supplies the energy for electronic devices such as an mp3 player using integrated solar cells at Avantex/Techtextil in Frankfurt on June 10-12.

Developed in conjunction with the Institute of Physical Electronics at the University of Stuttgart, through the Solartex project, the optimised plug connections and flexible, mechanically stable solar cells, have led to a prototype that not only powers small electrical devices but that can also withstand domestic laundering.

Since 2003, nine partners from the textile industry and research centres, including the Hohenstein Institutes, have been looking at ways of integrating solar cells into clothing as part of the Solartex combined research project.