We have seen curved OLED TV, urine-powered robots, urine powered mobile phone charger and many other innovative technologies. Now, it’s time to see flexible printed batteries which is said to power wearable devices.
There are many people who demand for flexible batteries. But unfortunately, no standard has been developed for measuring their flexibility. Hence those customers have become frustrated. So, the Imprint Energy, a California startup is developing a battery which they claim would be flexible.
This battery can be printed cheaply on commonly used industrial screen printers. These batteries would power those laptops and smartphones that contain lithium. Its solid polymer electrolyte provides greater stability and greater capacity for recharging. In addition, this flexible printed battery is also rechargeable.
Imprint Energy has been testing this ultra-thin zinc-polymer batteries in wrist-worn devices. Being a wearable device, the batteries inside the devices are really small, but even in small formats, the batteries can deliver enough current for low-power wireless communications sensors, distinguishing them from other types of thin batteries.
Brooks Kincaid, Imprint Energy’s co-founder and president, has said that “the batteries combine the best features of thin-film lithium batteries and printed batteries. Such thin-film batteries tend to be rechargeable, but they contain the reactive element, have limited capacity and are expensive to manufacture. Printed batteries are nonrechargeable, but they are cheap to make, typically use zinc and offer higher capacity.”
Until now, the company has collected $6 million funds from Phoenix Venture Partners, AME Cloud Ventures and many other sources. The company hopes to sell the batteries to manufacturers of wearable electronics, medical devices, smart labels and environmental sensors.
Source: MIT
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