The World’s First Solar Wireless Mobile Charging Station

The world's first solar wireless mobile charging station finds its genesis in the inventor's hive: Kickstarter.

A small team named Magsol Labs, Inc., backed by an equally demure website, has begun raising funds for what should have been an obvious invention: solar wireless charging. Named ESL (or "easel," because the station itself looks like an artist's easel), the station is the only battery charging device meant to be used entirely without wires. 

The ESL absorbs sunlight and then converts that into usable energy for Qi wireless charging. A full day of sunlight yields four charges on a regular smartphone either through wireless or USB charging. The campaign also supports the Brush Tail, which converts any non-wireless charging device into being ESL compatible.
The ESL is unique for a number of reasons: Yes, harnessing solar power for use in mobile devices is vital, and yes, it's the world's first device to do it entirely wirelessly, but it's also unique in that it addresses the needs of developing countries. After all, the most revolutionary mobile device in the world isn't any good in a country without wall sockets. Magsol Lab's invention is a way to incorporate technologically alienated areas. Now, for the first time, it's feasible to operate a smartphone in the Sahara desert or the Australian outback. This means that potentially millions of people can utilize smartphones with solar charging.

But the ESL is applicable in any area, from beach areas to airplanes. Essentially, if you have access to sunlight, you can charge your smartphone (or your gaming controllers, if you really need to play Batman: Arkham Knight while camping).

Now, once the kinks are worked out, it's only a matter of time before this same technology becomes applied to non-mobile devices.