Imagine a high school-style desk that features solar panels and lithium iron batteries, and can single-handedly keep a laptop charged for up to six hours. KANZ Outdoors imagined such clever device…and now they are prototyping and manufacturing it to market to a wide swath of consumers. Creator Harald Kanz explains that the idea originated from observations he made about the way people travel today – having to disconnect digitally can be a significant inconvenience and most travelers prefer to have a choice about when to power off. The challenge Kanz set was to develop a product that would be highly portable and provide electricity without having to connect to a grid. The target user group is varied and diverse, ranging from professionals like scientists and photographers, who need power while working with specialized equipment in the field, to internet addicts mixing social networking with recreation (yes, a satellite internet extra is available). The field power desk is available in 12V and 5V outputs.