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New Flexible And Stretchable Battery Can Power Wearables Safer And Better
Gadgets like smartwatches will have better shape and safer to wear.
Changes might arrive in wearables that many of us live with these days. Rigid batteries have made it hard to design wearables is comfortable. Even when they’re made of plastics or polymers, the risk of leaking is too high and doesn’t make it a good alternative choice.
Researchers David Mackanic, Xuzhou Yan, Yi Cui, and Zhenan Bao, however, have figured out how to make a soft, flexible battery that can stretch and conforms to the shape of our wrist. This battery made in Stanford University’s engineering school is the next ideal battery shape that will change the safety standard.
David Mackanic said, “Current batteries are stiff and rigid, making them non-conformable to the human body. This means the batteries must be small in order to not cause discomfort.”
“Additionally, our battery uses a polymer electrolyte, which is safer than the liquid electrolyte currently used for many wearable batteries. Our battery’s electrolyte is safer because it is less combustible and flammable, and won’t leak.”
The experiment result was added in Nature Communications scientific journal and showed how the battery provided consistent output despite its physical shape being bent and even stretched to twice its original size. But its capacity is only half the size of traditional batteries.
Mackanic suggested where this battery can be used: ” This battery could be integrated into things like wristbands for smartwatches, allowing the actual smartwatch to be thinner and more comfortable. These batteries could also be incorporated comfortably into clothing, providing a power source for smart textiles.”
