RiVIT is Davide Scomparin’s 1st place winning entry to The Design Institution’s recent Beach&Pool 2008/09 design competition. The portable beach mat solves a couple of problems at the same time, it provides padded comfort and a hood to protect skin from the sun’s rays and at the same the hood captures those rays to charge your cel phone and or MP3 player (via USB).

RiVIT comes folded in a small case with a strap for carrying and has two parts, a hood/tent and a padded mat. The hood has built-in PowerFilm photovoltaic solar panels that can recharge small electronic devices. Not only does RiVIT capture renewal energy but it’s also sustainably built. Both the hood and the mat are covered with Waterfront, a fabric made of post-use recycled polyester. The mat is stuffed with edil fiber, a material made from recycled PET bottles usually used as sound proofing material. The hood also has a reinforcing structure made of stainless steel rods to keep the panels in place and off your face. All the fabric parts are cover-removable which allows for the whole mat to be washed.