Solar Toys

Now that solar chargers are getting smaller, less expensive, more flexible and far sturdier than ever before, they are increasingly being included in all manner of electronic toys. Long gone are the days of wind-up tin toys – but you don’t need to spend a fortune on even rechargeable batteries as long as the sun’s out.

Perhaps one of the first solar powered toys, a solar radiometer toy can actually double as a scientific instrument, spinning faster when the incidence of solar radiation (measured in Einsteins per second per meter squared) is higher. Though this solar toy is also a test device, there are no units to measure by other than revolutions per unit of time, it is a very useful comparative device.

Radiometers also have the advantage of being somewhat mysterious – despite being nearly 250 years old, the exact mechanism by which is works remains somewhat mysterious, though physicists have made some very clever guesses over the years. Such a device needs no batteries, as it doesn’t actually perform any “work” in the electronic sense of the word, since the bell the spinners are in is a partial vacuum, and without resistance, there is no work (aka wattage).

Among the more conventional solar powered toys are radio-controlled (RC) devices. Often these are the commercial application of a test device, such as the RC solar toy car. This device first made my engineering students at University to test their designs for full sized solar-electric automobiles usually has battery storage that allows it to surge forward quickly when running, but allows it to take a nice, deep charge when it’s just sitting there idle.

Other such devices include the RC solar airplane. Though often plastic, metal toy kits are available, especially with historic airplane designs. They tend to be far lighter than solar RC cars, they will often have a very light rechargeable battery or even just a series of capacitors to hold the charge. Unlike many other solar toys, airplanes often come from a kit and must be assembled and detailed before use.

As solar panels become more cost effective and flexible it is very likely they will be impregnated into the fabric of doll clothing or talking books. Just about anything that takes a battery and is unlikely to be chewed on can be fitted for solar operation.

This goes for adult toys as well as children’s toys. For instance, even collectibles that make noise can be outfitted to use a small solar collector and a capacitor, rather than a difficult to recycle coin-type battery.