A Personal Sun Trap

24-year-old Rosanna Kilfedder from St Andrews in Scotland, a design student from Brunel University, thought up a handbag that has an illuminated interior powered by solar panels.

The contents of a woman’s handbag have long remained a mystery - often even to the owner - but a new design offers to shine a light on the problem.

The handbag, dubbed Sun Trap, uses a solar cell attached to the outside of the bag to trap energy from sunlight.

The lining is made from an electroluminescent material similar to that found in mobile phones and is lit up by the bag’s zip which acts as a switch.

The bag goes dark when the zip is closed or after 15 seconds if it is accidentally left open.

“I had the idea for Sun Trap handbag after seeing so many friends frantically searching their bags for house keys, usually on a dark doorstep,” said Ms Kilfidder.

A secondary use of the portable battery is as an emergency charger for mobile phones and other wireless devices.

Ms Kilfidder’s bag design has already won a competition held at Brunel University aimed at finding a new generation of entrepreneurs.

Brunel Enterprise Centre, an organisation set up to help students develop their ideas commercially, is helping her apply for a patent and eventually get the bag on the High Street.

Be sure to visit the designers website to keep tabs on the progress of this interesting fashion item.

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