This Power Station Has Mood Lighting (And 8 Charging Ports)

Let’s be honest. Most portable power stations look like someone’s idea of what a camping generator should be: utilitarian, bulky, and about as stylish as a cinderblock. They’re the kind of gadgets you’d happily hide in a closet when company comes over. But what if your power station could actually enhance your space instead of cluttering it? Enter the ARKEEP Halo Portable Power Station, and trust me when I say this isn’t your typical backup battery.

Designed by Union Suppo Battery, the ARKEEP Halo is what happens when someone finally asks the question: why can’t emergency power be beautiful? The result is a device that takes its design cues from high-end electronics rather than construction equipment, creating something that looks equally at home on your desk, in your living room, or tucked into your camping gear.

Designer: Union Suppo Battery

What makes this little powerhouse so compelling is how it refuses to be just one thing. It’s an 8-port charging hub that includes dual 140W PD3.1 ports and dual 100W USB-C ports, two 22.5W USB-A ports, and here’s where it gets interesting: dual wireless charging pads at 15W and 5W. This means you can charge your laptop, your phone, your tablet, and your partner’s phone all at the same time without needing to carry around a tangled mess of charging bricks. It’s the kind of thoughtful design that makes you wonder why every power station doesn’t work this way.

But the real genius of the ARKEEP Halo lies in a feature you wouldn’t necessarily expect from a battery pack: integrated lighting. This isn’t just a simple flashlight stuck on the side. The designers created a 270-degree ambient glow system with adjustable color temperature and brightness that can simulate natural light rhythms. During the day, it provides functional illumination. At night, it shifts to warmer tones with lower blue light output, creating an atmosphere that actually helps reduce anxiety and promotes relaxation. It’s like having a mood lamp, a charging station, and an emergency power supply all rolled into one sleek package.

The design philosophy here is refreshingly different. Instead of treating portable power as purely functional, ARKEEP has reimagined it as an everyday essential that seamlessly integrates into modern life. The aesthetic strikes that tricky balance between looking sophisticated enough for your home office while being rugged enough to handle outdoor adventures. It’s the Swiss Army knife approach to power stations, where versatility doesn’t come at the cost of elegance.

This matters more than you might think. We live in an age where our devices are extensions of ourselves. Our phones, laptops, and tablets aren’t just tools anymore but lifelines to work, relationships, and entertainment. The anxiety of running out of battery has become a legitimate modern stressor. Having a power solution that’s not only reliable but actually pleasant to look at and use changes the entire relationship we have with backup power.

What’s particularly smart about the ARKEEP Halo is how it acknowledges that portable power stations have evolved beyond their original purpose. Sure, they’re still great for camping trips and power outages, but increasingly, they’re becoming part of our everyday tech ecosystem. Remote workers need them for flexibility. Content creators use them for on-location shoots. Digital nomads rely on them for constant connectivity. The ARKEEP Halo was designed with all these use cases in mind, not as an afterthought but as core considerations.

The ambient lighting feature deserves special attention because it reveals a deeper understanding of how people actually use these devices. During power outages, harsh white light can feel jarring and cold. The ability to create a softer, warmer glow transforms a stressful situation into something more manageable. It’s a small detail that makes a significant emotional difference, the kind of thoughtful touch that separates good design from great design.

In a market flooded with black boxes covered in neon highlights and aggressive industrial styling, the ARKEEP Halo stands out by simply being more human. It recognizes that technology should adapt to our lives, not the other way around. Whether you’re powering through a blackout, working from a coffee shop, or setting up camp under the stars, this is a device that actually understands what you need. And that’s worth celebrating.

The post This Power Station Has Mood Lighting (And 8 Charging Ports) first appeared on Yanko Design.

Transform Home Energy with a System that Powers Through Outages and Enhances Sustainable Living

Engineered to tackle the complex challenges of today’s energy challenges, the Anker SOLIX X1 is a sophisticated home energy storage system that ensures consistent power during outages and optimizes energy usage for greater efficiency and cost savings. Homeowners often face erratic power availability, which can lead to increased utility costs and the inconvenience of interruptions that disrupt daily life and risk damage to sensitive electronics. Additionally, the growing awareness and need for sustainable living drive the demand for solutions like the Anker SOLIX X1, which integrates seamlessly with any home and supports renewable energy sources.

Designer: Anker

Click Here to Buy Now. Free Anker SOLIX C800 Plus for those who buy before June 30, 2024!

With its high functionality and aesthetic appeal, the slim, minimalist design—only 5.9 inches thick—makes it much more compact than traditional systems, effortlessly blending into any living space. The Sandstone Gray exterior, chosen for its natural look and durability, includes a special powder coating to enhance weather and corrosion resistance, keeping the system attractive even under harsh conditions. The system includes a sleek grille on the side panels that neatly hides wiring, ensuring a clean, unified look. Drawing on the elegance of a waterfall, this design element enhances aesthetics while maintaining tidiness and organization.

Anker SOLIX X1 transforms your power experience. Store solar energy during the day for nighttime use or off-grid.

Save on energy bills!

Inspired by the “break of dawn,” symbolizing new beginnings and a sustainable future powered by renewable energy, the sleek appearance and functionality of Anker SOLIX X1 aim to provide reliable energy independence from conventional power sources. The system also includes thoughtful features that enhance user interaction, such as an interactive light strip on the front that displays various operational statuses through distinct modes and colors, providing immediate visual feedback. For instance, a bright white light signifies normal operation, a calming blue represents off-grid power usage, and red indicates potential issues.

The system includes a Starry Night Screen that directly shows essential information about power levels and status on the device, eliminating the need to check a website or app. This simplifies user interaction and adds to the aesthetic appeal, allowing the system to serve as both a practical technology and a decorative element in your home.

Anker SOLIX X1 Minimalist Design-Starry Night Screen

Equipped with a 24/7 Whole-Home Backup Power system, the X1 should provide peace of mind that your home remains brightly lit and fully powered even during unexpected power outages. It employs rapid-switching technology that activates in under 20 milliseconds, providing an uninterrupted power supply and allowing homeowners to continue their daily activities without disruption. Furthermore, during short-term blackouts, the Anker SOLIX X1 could constantly offer 1.1X rated power output to power high-watt home appliances all at once, ensuring no interruption in service.

Anker SOLIX X1 4°F-131°F -Thermal Boosting Technology

This system guarantees consistent power during outages and excels in extreme temperatures, achieving 100% power efficiency from -4°F to 131°F. The built-in thermal boosting technology allows the battery to charge normally when others might fail, especially in severe cold. The Battery Management System (BMS) also enhances battery performance, enabling up to 15% more attainable power in high summer temperatures. With its InfinitiPower™ technology, the X1 maintains steady charging and discharging capabilities without power derating, supported by at least three battery modules. Additionally, the X1 is designed to withstand rain and dust, courtesy of its IP65 rating, offering users peace of mind. This ensures reliable and efficient power delivery, even under challenging environmental conditions.

Anker SOLIX X1 IP65 rating protects against rain and dust

The system’s StormGuard Mode prepares homeowners for any weather. It automatically maximizes battery capacity in response to severe weather alerts from local services. This ensures you are prepared for any adverse conditions without giving it a second thought. This energy solution provides sustainable energy independence and allows homeowners to customize capacity from 5 to 180 kWh and power from 3 to 36 kW to their specific needs, ensuring optimal performance and minimal energy loss as demands grow. The X1’s modular pack design allows for seamless expansion without suffering energy loss derived from mixed use of new and old batteries, a common problem known as the ‘barrel effect.’ In the event of a battery pack failure, the system is designed to isolate the failed pack, maintaining overall system availability automatically. This flexibility and adaptability ensure you always find the best combination that fits your needs.

Anker SOLIX X1 with Energy Optimizer: Optimized Energy for More Power- Barrel effect

With its Innovative Energy Optimizer, each battery module can independently charge and discharge, eliminating capacity loss due to different statuses. This feature provides up to 2350kWh more energy than similar products in the market over a span of 10 years, resulting in significant savings on electricity bills. This data and calculation are based on 15kWh batteries of Anker SOLIX X1 over 10 years vs a traditional home battery.

The X1 optimizes energy use through several innovative modes, enhancing sustainability and cost-effectiveness. By intelligently managing energy, it adapts to green energy availability and price fluctuations, maximizing economic returns. One of the key modes, the Self-powered mode, prevents any solar power from going to waste during daylight by storing excess energy. This helps reduce the carbon footprint and supports energy independence. Users can easily switch to this mode using the Anker app, which enables the system to charge throughout the day and power the home at night.

Anker SOLIX X1 Innovative Energy Optimizer

Additionally, the Time-of-Use mode takes into account the fluctuating electricity prices over the course of the day, highlighting that the impact on your electricity bill depends not only on how much power you use but also on the timing of its use. Furthermore, in response to California’s new energy guidelines under NEM 3.0, the X1 features a mode that adapts to these changes. It utilizes an advanced electricity price database to enable homeowners to sell surplus electricity back to the grid at peak prices, thus increasing potential earnings and improving overall efficiency.

For convenience, the Anker SOLIX X1 can be controlled remotely using just one app, simplifying the monitoring and optimization of home power usage. This app allows users to save time and reduce hassle by providing access to professional data for optimizing power consumption without the need for multiple tools or interfaces. Furthermore, this energy solution is designed with safety in mind. It features a 0V battery port that ensures users remain safe from electrical shocks during maintenance. Using LiFePO4 components also significantly reduces the risk of overheating and fire, enhancing the system’s overall safety for home use. These features make the X1 a powerful, efficient energy solution and a safe choice for modern homes. Further enhancing this sense of security is a 10-year hassle-free warranty, demonstrating Anker’s commitment to durability and customer satisfaction.

Anker SOLIX X1 Shock-Free 0V DC Shutdown

Anker SOLIX X1 Heat Dissipation Optimization

Anker SOLIX X1 Modular Design

Seamlessly integrating functionality, flexibility, and aesthetics, the Anker SOLIX X1 is a sophisticated and reliable energy solution that redefines home energy management. This new system is designed to meet the needs of modern homeowners who aspire to combine sustainable energy use with stylish living.

Anker SOLIX X1 Installation

Discover the Anker SOLIX X1 for yourself and witness the change it brings to your home energy management. Visit the Anker SOLIX official website between April 23, 2024, and June 30, 2024, to learn more about this enticing offer. Consumers who submit a request for a free quote, make the purchase, and install as per Anker’s guidelines will receive the Anker SOLIX C800 Plus as a token of appreciation. Claim your Anker SOLIX C800 Plus by redeeming the product code sent via email by March 31, 2025, and experience how the Anker SOLIX X1 can revolutionize your energy usage, making it more efficient, sustainable, and seamlessly integrated into your living space.

Click Here to Buy Now. Free Anker SOLIX C800 Plus for those who buy before June 30, 2024!

The post Transform Home Energy with a System that Powers Through Outages and Enhances Sustainable Living first appeared on Yanko Design.

Transform Home Energy with a System that Powers Through Outages and Enhances Sustainable Living

Engineered to tackle the complex challenges of today’s energy challenges, the Anker SOLIX X1 is a sophisticated home energy storage system that ensures consistent power during outages and optimizes energy usage for greater efficiency and cost savings. Homeowners often face erratic power availability, which can lead to increased utility costs and the inconvenience of interruptions that disrupt daily life and risk damage to sensitive electronics. Additionally, the growing awareness and need for sustainable living drive the demand for solutions like the Anker SOLIX X1, which integrates seamlessly with any home and supports renewable energy sources.

Designer: Anker

Click Here to Buy Now. Free Anker SOLIX C800 Plus for those who buy before June 30, 2024!

With its high functionality and aesthetic appeal, the slim, minimalist design—only 5.9 inches thick—makes it much more compact than traditional systems, effortlessly blending into any living space. The Sandstone Gray exterior, chosen for its natural look and durability, includes a special powder coating to enhance weather and corrosion resistance, keeping the system attractive even under harsh conditions. The system includes a sleek grille on the side panels that neatly hides wiring, ensuring a clean, unified look. Drawing on the elegance of a waterfall, this design element enhances aesthetics while maintaining tidiness and organization.

Anker SOLIX X1 transforms your power experience. Store solar energy during the day for nighttime use or off-grid.

Save on energy bills!

Inspired by the “break of dawn,” symbolizing new beginnings and a sustainable future powered by renewable energy, the sleek appearance and functionality of Anker SOLIX X1 aim to provide reliable energy independence from conventional power sources. The system also includes thoughtful features that enhance user interaction, such as an interactive light strip on the front that displays various operational statuses through distinct modes and colors, providing immediate visual feedback. For instance, a bright white light signifies normal operation, a calming blue represents off-grid power usage, and red indicates potential issues.

The system includes a Starry Night Screen that directly shows essential information about power levels and status on the device, eliminating the need to check a website or app. This simplifies user interaction and adds to the aesthetic appeal, allowing the system to serve as both a practical technology and a decorative element in your home.

Anker SOLIX X1 Minimalist Design-Starry Night Screen

Equipped with a 24/7 Whole-Home Backup Power system, the X1 should provide peace of mind that your home remains brightly lit and fully powered even during unexpected power outages. It employs rapid-switching technology that activates in under 20 milliseconds, providing an uninterrupted power supply and allowing homeowners to continue their daily activities without disruption. Furthermore, during short-term blackouts, the Anker SOLIX X1 could constantly offer 1.1X rated power output to power high-watt home appliances all at once, ensuring no interruption in service.

Anker SOLIX X1 4°F-131°F -Thermal Boosting Technology

This system guarantees consistent power during outages and excels in extreme temperatures, achieving 100% power efficiency from -4°F to 131°F. The built-in thermal boosting technology allows the battery to charge normally when others might fail, especially in severe cold. The Battery Management System (BMS) also enhances battery performance, enabling up to 15% more attainable power in high summer temperatures. With its InfinitiPower™ technology, the X1 maintains steady charging and discharging capabilities without power derating, supported by at least three battery modules. Additionally, the X1 is designed to withstand rain and dust, courtesy of its IP65 rating, offering users peace of mind. This ensures reliable and efficient power delivery, even under challenging environmental conditions.

Anker SOLIX X1 IP65 rating protects against rain and dust

The system’s StormGuard Mode prepares homeowners for any weather. It automatically maximizes battery capacity in response to severe weather alerts from local services. This ensures you are prepared for any adverse conditions without giving it a second thought. This energy solution provides sustainable energy independence and allows homeowners to customize capacity from 5 to 180 kWh and power from 3 to 36 kW to their specific needs, ensuring optimal performance and minimal energy loss as demands grow. The X1’s modular pack design allows for seamless expansion without suffering energy loss derived from mixed use of new and old batteries, a common problem known as the ‘barrel effect.’ In the event of a battery pack failure, the system is designed to isolate the failed pack, maintaining overall system availability automatically. This flexibility and adaptability ensure you always find the best combination that fits your needs.

Anker SOLIX X1 with Energy Optimizer: Optimized Energy for More Power- Barrel effect

With its Innovative Energy Optimizer, each battery module can independently charge and discharge, eliminating capacity loss due to different statuses. This feature provides up to 2350kWh more energy than similar products in the market over a span of 10 years, resulting in significant savings on electricity bills. This data and calculation are based on 15kWh batteries of Anker SOLIX X1 over 10 years vs a traditional home battery.

The X1 optimizes energy use through several innovative modes, enhancing sustainability and cost-effectiveness. By intelligently managing energy, it adapts to green energy availability and price fluctuations, maximizing economic returns. One of the key modes, the Self-powered mode, prevents any solar power from going to waste during daylight by storing excess energy. This helps reduce the carbon footprint and supports energy independence. Users can easily switch to this mode using the Anker app, which enables the system to charge throughout the day and power the home at night.

Anker SOLIX X1 Innovative Energy Optimizer

Additionally, the Time-of-Use mode takes into account the fluctuating electricity prices over the course of the day, highlighting that the impact on your electricity bill depends not only on how much power you use but also on the timing of its use. Furthermore, in response to California’s new energy guidelines under NEM 3.0, the X1 features a mode that adapts to these changes. It utilizes an advanced electricity price database to enable homeowners to sell surplus electricity back to the grid at peak prices, thus increasing potential earnings and improving overall efficiency.

For convenience, the Anker SOLIX X1 can be controlled remotely using just one app, simplifying the monitoring and optimization of home power usage. This app allows users to save time and reduce hassle by providing access to professional data for optimizing power consumption without the need for multiple tools or interfaces. Furthermore, this energy solution is designed with safety in mind. It features a 0V battery port that ensures users remain safe from electrical shocks during maintenance. Using LiFePO4 components also significantly reduces the risk of overheating and fire, enhancing the system’s overall safety for home use. These features make the X1 a powerful, efficient energy solution and a safe choice for modern homes. Further enhancing this sense of security is a 10-year hassle-free warranty, demonstrating Anker’s commitment to durability and customer satisfaction.

Anker SOLIX X1 Shock-Free 0V DC Shutdown

Anker SOLIX X1 Heat Dissipation Optimization

Anker SOLIX X1 Modular Design

Seamlessly integrating functionality, flexibility, and aesthetics, the Anker SOLIX X1 is a sophisticated and reliable energy solution that redefines home energy management. This new system is designed to meet the needs of modern homeowners who aspire to combine sustainable energy use with stylish living.

Anker SOLIX X1 Installation

Discover the Anker SOLIX X1 for yourself and witness the change it brings to your home energy management. Visit the Anker SOLIX official website between April 23, 2024, and June 30, 2024, to learn more about this enticing offer. Consumers who submit a request for a free quote, make the purchase, and install as per Anker’s guidelines will receive the Anker SOLIX C800 Plus as a token of appreciation. Claim your Anker SOLIX C800 Plus by redeeming the product code sent via email by March 31, 2025, and experience how the Anker SOLIX X1 can revolutionize your energy usage, making it more efficient, sustainable, and seamlessly integrated into your living space.

Click Here to Buy Now. Free Anker SOLIX C800 Plus for those who buy before June 30, 2024!

The post Transform Home Energy with a System that Powers Through Outages and Enhances Sustainable Living first appeared on Yanko Design.

Drone quadcopter concept grips power lines to recharge its batteries

Although they may be a bit controversial due to privacy and safety concerns, it’s hard to argue that drones, specifically quadcopter models, have introduced big changes in modern life. Taking photos and recording videos can now have some dramatic flair, and deliveries of food and supplies can be made to harder-to-reach places. What these often astounding use cases don’t always say, however, is that drones have very short operating times due to their small batteries. That means they can only fly over short distances with light payloads unless they stop and land somewhere for a recharge. This research concept tries to think of a different system that takes advantage of one of the most ubiquitous power sources found in most urban areas: heavy-duty power lines.

Designers: Viet Duong Hoang, Frederik Falk Nyboe, Nicolaj Haarhøj Malle, Emad Ebeid

Given our current battery technologies, drones have no choice but to pack light. This means most drones have an operating time of around 1 hour or so, and that’s only if they’re not struggling to keep afloat with a heavy load. This drastically shortens the travel time and distance of drones unless they find a way to charge en route, almost like how a car refuels or charges along its way. That, however, would require creating “charging stations” for these drones, which might not always be possible or even economical.

Scientists from the University of Southern Denmark decided to design around a power source that is always there but isn’t solar-powered, which would be too slow and too little for the drone’s use. Instead, the drones clamp onto power lines, the very same thick cables that deliver power from one pole to another. When the drone senses that its battery is too low for comfort, it flies to the nearest power line, flies under a line, and then slowly raises itself until its mechanism grips the line. From there, it uses induction to draw electricity from the line to power that gripping mechanism as well as charge the drone hanging from it.

To test this theory, a drone that was used to inspect power lines was outfitted with custom-made sensors and a gripper before being set to its task without human intervention. The drone recharged itself five times using this method, resulting in an impressive two-hour operation. Although the task put the drone within the immediate vicinity of the electrical line that it needed to recharge, it’s not hard to imagine how delivery drones would likewise have access to nearby lines for the same purpose.

Then again, this recharging system might not be the best solution either, at least given the technologies we have today. Fully autonomous drones are still generally considered to be unreliable, so you can only imagine the fear of one of these flying robots meeting an accident on that power line and taking down a whole block’s electricity. Of course, the better solution would be to have public charging stations like those for cars, but we’re still far from being a drone-centric civilization to warrant such infrastructure.

The post Drone quadcopter concept grips power lines to recharge its batteries first appeared on Yanko Design.