MIT solar stylists have created prototype seats that harness the power of the sun to power-up the smartphones of passersby looking to rest and recharge.

The two "seat-e" prototypes were installed along the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway near Boston’s North End neighborhood, known as the city’s Little Italy and a popular tourist destination. The project was developed at the MIT Media Lab.

The new technology was designed and built by MIT alumna Ines Gaisset, Media Lab Visiting Scientist Sandra Richter and Media Lab PhD candidate Nan Zhao. The seats provide a "building block" for mobile infrastructure along the city’s streets, according to information from the office of Mayor Thomas Menino.

"The city is interested in continuing to explore how technology can be integrated into the streetscape, whether it be a convenient place to charge your phone, a new way to engage with the public or an innovative way to collect environmental data," Kris Carter, adviser to Menino, said in the statement. 

The solar benches will be in place for the remainder of the fall for study, and will reappear in the spring with any necessary improvements. The seat-e technology was showcased at the World Innovation Forum in New York earlier this year. Future versions will include air quality sensors to measure smoke, exhaust and odor, data that will be available to the public, according to the city’s statement.

The MIT researchers are hoping to investigate how smart urban furniture can act as a "sensor network platform" for the city.