The truly bendable and flexible battery is something of a holy grail in wearable technology circles. It’s easy to see why. Once a battery can be flexed to your will it can then be inserted in all manner of clothing. This leads to, well, cooler and more intense gadgetry on your person. So far scientists have done well with flexible displays, flexible printed circuits and even flexible chargers but flexible batteries have given them pause. Well, prepare to un-pause because, by jove, we think we’ve got it.
Researchers from the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have made a, um, powerful breakthrough this week. It seems they have created a high performance bendable lithium-ion battery. You heard that right. This lithium-ion battery is more flexible than Gabby Douglas. How did they do it? By developing a new manufacturing process in which the researchers literally peeled and stuck the battery like a, well, sticker. The scientists played around with several scenarios and the result was always the same. No matter what shape the battery ended up in, it still remain juiced. Just like my ex-wife! I kid, I kid.
The team thinks this marvelous tech will receive a lion’s share of uses, even though the video below only shows it being used to power a single, sad little Christmas light. Why, soon it’ll be used to power a whole bunch of sad, little Christmas lights. Their press release indicates they are looking to use this technology to bring “the next-generation of fully flexible” devices to market. Bring it on guys. Our bodies are ready.
For now your batteries are as stiff and rigid as a country club member in 1956, but this will be changing before too long. Take a peek of what awaits you in the video below.
