Who knows exactly about the Forbidden Tree? Well, this one isn’t forbidden but it’s something I don’t want to touch or even use. Oscar Torres, a graduate student from NYU, made a tree that looks like a Christmas tree more than anything else.

It’s one of those very bizarre projects showcased at the annual Interactive Telecommunications Program of the university. From very thin solar cells, Torres constructed the leaves and connected them to a battery found at the base of the tree, as well as on the connecting trunk and the branches. The solar leaves give power to the blue lights.

Torres’ idea is for this unusual solar tree to be installed in a public place so anyone could just use solar energy to charge their USB-powered gadgets. Now, if only someone could invent a tree that could grow real money even it looks ridiculous like this, I’d be the first to promote it.

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