Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
The Sego Charger aka The Origami Travel Solar Panel by Sego Innovations is the most compact travel solar panel that can give travelers portable PV power on the go.
This foldable solar panel is suitable for charging personal devices and travel equipment such as GPS and radio transmitters.
Users can just their devices directly into the solar panel to keep them powered up.
Sego Charger brings in a 25-watt power rating with monocrystalline solar cells to capture more solar power, thanks to their grid-line electrical contacts on the cell’s rear.
The foldable origami solar power also comes with a tripod to easily set it up almost anywhere, even on uneven paths.
Since it is designed for travelers, Sego Charger can withstand all weather conditions, from the harsh gust of winds to constant rainfall, to fully realize all-time powered-up outdoor and off-grid trips.
The designers have explained that the influence of their foldable origami solar panel comes from years spent researching alongside NASA engineers.
They imitated NASA’s deployable-space-based solar arrays and at the same time, they were inspired to conceive a similar concept for an earth-based application, targeting travelers and backpackers.
Sego Charger’s flexibility and sturdiness rely on its robust joints.
Additionally, through its hinges, travelers can fold and unfold it thousands of times since these joints distribute weight evenly and provide a solid connection between the components.
The Sego design team has also laminated Sego Charger with Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene, a fluorine-based plastic, to make the solar panel weather-resistant and almost dust and dirt free.
Project: Sego Charger
Designer: Sego innovations
Designer Team: Ian Esplin, Jacob Sheffield, and Diana Balaños
Manufacturer: Sego Innovations
