Traditional batteries are one of the most deciding factors for many consumers to adopt a device. While battery technology has been improving and devices operate more efficiently, there isn’t anything revolutionary that would give our phones or laptop two or three days of battery life. Google X Research Labs is said to be working on several new battery technologies – one of them is a solid-state battery in the form of thin-film.
In the past several years, Google has been venturing out to many other tech that utilized batteries. Developing its own in-house battery technology would seem to be a no brainer; as it could shape and mold however the energy source behaved. While there are other promising battery technologies by other companies or research labs, none of them has proven to be easily adopted into consumer products.
Dr. Ramesh Bhardwaj, a member of a group within Google X is leading a project focusing on battery technology aimed towards consumer products. The current research will attempt to improve lithium-ion batteries and develop solid-state batteries. Solid-state batteries could be a technology that would change our portable energy consumption – with its high energy density and easily minimized in term of physical aspect. By using solid electrodes, solid-state batteries are much safer; even human implant application is not impossible.
How long until we will see these advancement into consumer tech? God knows when – but the more companies invest into better technology, the better outlook we will have over devices battery life. Wouldn’t it be great if you only need to charge your phone once a week? I would be happy even once every three days.
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