Oh no they didn't. I thought it would be a cold day in hell before solar panels actually made their way onto a swimsuit, but I was wrong. A few months ago, we were introduced to the clever, but uncomfortable looking solar bikini created by Andrew Schneider. Although the idea was somewhat exciting, the execution was horrifying. What woman would willingly wear a bikini covered in photo voltaic film? It makes my skin itch, just looking at it.

It appears someone out there thought Andrew was on to something, and decided to fully execute his idea in a more reasonable way. Recenlty, swimming champion Gemma Mengual was spotted walking down the runway sporting the latest solar swimsuit creation by Triumph--and she didn't look too happy. The strange swimsuit contains embedded solar panels on the front of the suit to harness enough solar power to recharge small gadgets, such as an iPod or cellphone, from a charging chord placed by the hip area. I really doubt these suits are waterproof, or that anyone would be out in the sun long enough to need to recharge their batteries. But whatever the logic, I have to ask you readers: Could solar swimsuits be the next big thing? Would you ever wear one?