Personal projects / Sensors & electronics
EKO Cell solar battery concept
A rechargeable-battery packaging concept that earned third place and a $1,000 prize in a Lehigh University innovation competition.
Open the numbered review →Competition concept and identity
Photos 195–197
EKO Cell was a proof of concept I developed for an innovation competition at Lehigh University. It packaged a rechargeable AAA cell and a solar panel inside an AA-size shell, aiming to provide a rechargeable option for AA-powered devices. The smaller cell meant less capacity, with limitations for demanding loads. The project won third place and a $1,000 award—an encouraging early experience of pitching an idea.
The logo I designed for EKO Cell. Turned on its side, the E, K, and O suggest the ground, a plant, and the sun. I wanted the lettering itself to reflect the solar-powered idea behind the battery concept.
Prototype and flexible solar panel
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EKO Cell was a proof of concept I developed at Lehigh University: a AAA battery and flexible solar panel packaged inside an AA-sized shell. The idea was to have a rechargeable AA-size battery available when needed. The prototype did not include a charge-control circuit. It won third place and a $1,000 award in a university innovation competition, and taught me a great deal about pitching a product.
Another view of EKO Cell in its compact battery-shaped packaging. The concept combined a smaller AAA battery with a flexible solar panel inside an AA-sized shell.
The flexible solar panel extended from the EKO Cell prototype. The project explored how solar charging could be packaged in the form of a familiar AA battery.
The EKO Cell prototype with its solar panel extended and its parts visible. This was a packaging and product concept; a charge-control circuit was not included in the prototype.