Solar Gauntlet

For the year 2222, our team envisioned a world that embraced the aesthetic of transparent solar panels integrated into their apparel. Prior to T9 Hacks, our group designed the following sketches and concepts together, as well as creating a moodboard of images of futuristic fashion. This let us as a team streamline our design process by identifying thematic and stylistic elements that we wanted to embrace, as well as those that didn’t fit with our ultimate goals.

Once we arrived on-site together at T9, we continued making more sketches and written documentation of our priorities as a team. We decided we wanted to imagine a positive future embracing alternative energy generation. We also wanted to incorporate elements of the past, grounding this 2222’s world timeline as a continuation of our own. So with that in mind, our team decided on a one-armed solar gauntlet design. It would have an expandable solar panel array built into it for personal use, which would collapse back down when not in use.

We built our project with a combination of materials: EVA Foam, 3D printed parts, and sewn elements. The EVA foam was the base of our pauldron and gauntlet, assembled with contact cement and CA Glue and smoothed with a dremel. The front pouch was sewn out of white canvas with a white zipper, with 3D printed buckle. The solar panel array was designed in OnShape and 3D printed, with the ultimate goal of being assembled with cellophane sheets sandwiched between the prints to stand in for the transparent solar panels.

One large challenge we faced was with timing. In order to start certain elements, other elements needed to be completed first. We worked together to plan out our overall schedule, and worked through the unexpected surprises (including positive ones, like realizing we could print the entire solar "wing," though it took more time).

We learned a lot in a very short amount of time. The CAd modeling led to several useful lessons and tools, including creating a library of metric fastener reference models, as well as the generation of exploded views for documentation, which are included in our files. We also learned how to shorten a zipper.

Overall, this has been a great experience from start to finish, from planning to construction.

Kai Hughes, Atlas Zaina, Jeremiah Klinkerman, Kat Girdaukas, Will Harris