Orange has gazed deep into its crystal ball and seen the tent of the future. Can it be erected in under five minutes at the height of a shrieking Welsh gale? Does it stop staggering Glastonbury attendees from being sick in it? Sadly not, but the Solar Concept Tent is solar powered and has its very own 3G WiFi connection. Read on more details.
Based on the original Orange Solar Tent, the Solar Concept Tent is designed to unite festival goers with their power supply and communication needs. A photovoltaic fabric, constructed by weaving solar threads into conventional fabric, generates power for the tent’s central control hub.
As well as displaying the energy being generated and consumed, the control hub provides a WiFi signal that accesses the internet using 3G. In turn, that 3G connectivity enables the ‘Glo-cation’ feature, which allows users to identify their personal Solar Concept Tent using either an SMS or an RFID chip, which trigger a “distinctive glow” inside the temporary abode.
That’s assuming it wouldn’t instantly recognisable from the crowd of netbook users lingering around it.
Additionally, if you’ve got any power left after an evening using the WiFi, an internal heating element embedded in the groundsheet will keep you toasty warm if the temperature falls below a set level. Of course, all it actually needs is a working lavatory and Orange would have to beat prospective buyers away with a stick.
