New 'smart textiles' can produce and store solar energy

Why lug around a portable battery pack when you could generate that power with your own clothing?

That's the idea behind new "smart" fibers that can be tailored and woven like cotton — but also produce and store solar energy, like tiny clean power plants.

The early-stage textile device could eventually be used for on-the-go charging of smartphones and tablet computers, according to the Chinese researchers who developed the technology.

"We expect it can be a product for the everyday consumer in the future," two of the researchers, Wenjie Mai of Jinan University and Xing Fan of Chongqing University, told Mashable by email. Read more...