Adidas’ new RPT-02 SOL on-ear wireless headphones have self-charging technology, so they’ll keep going even after your exercise is over.
The headphones make use of a solar panel designed by Exeger and integrated into the headband. Since this can take in any source of light, whether natural or artificial, it may charge the headphones’ battery in direct sunlight or artificial light.
The IPX4 splash resistance rating and the use of recycled plastics and polyester in their construction give the new Adidas cans further environmental credentials.
The internal battery provides up to 80 hours of recorded gameplay. If you’re stuck in a cave without access to standard electricity and need to charge your RPT-02 SOL headphones, you can do it using a USB Type-C connection.
RPT-02 SOLs aren’t the first cans to utilise this kind of renewable energy technology, but they do have a more durable, ready-to-action design.
However, unlike Adidas’ current attempt, the solar-powered Urbanista Los Angeles headphones, released late last year, incorporate active noise cancelling thanks to the Powerfoyle light source panels that Exeger had previously supplied to fellow Swedish firm Urbinista.
Since then, Urbinista has introduced a set of truly wireless earphones that can be charged in the sun thanks to a charging case with a solar panel.
Adidas hasn’t said how much sunshine is needed to charge their new headphones, but in Los Angeles, an hour in the sun was enough to fuel the Urbanista Los Angeles for three hours of listening time.
The Adidas RPT-02 Sol will go on sale on August 23 for £199.95 (about 240, AU344).
Possibly ushering in a new age of solar-powered technology, Adidas’s new cans are making waves.
Those of us who were born in the ’80s may recall the Casio HS-8, a pocket calculator that, owing to its tiny solar panels, seemed to defy physics by functioning without batteries.
With the HS-8, we might see a world without used-up Duracells or cumbersome power adapters. Naturally, the actual outcome was quite different.
It’s encouraging to see some companies getting solar power back on their radar.
Not only do Samsung’s most high-end TV remotes have light source panels, but the South Korean company is also widely speculated to be creating a sun-powered smart watch. Meanwhile, Adidas’s latest headphones demonstrate that the technology isn’t limited to low-powered products.
The quality of the RPT-02 SOLs’ sound is crucial to their commercial success; if it matches their sustainability credentials, Adidas is onto a winner.