Flexible Batteries Mean Tablets Could One Day Be Foldable [Video]
A team of Korean researchers have created a lithium ion battery that keeps its charge even while bent, opening the doors for future flexible smartphones, e-readers and more.
Professor Keon Jae Lee of the Korean Advanced Institute Of Science And Technology has created a solid-state rechargeable battery that folds. The lithium ion battery is printed on a thin film that can be twisted and bent again and again without any effect on energy level, as the video below demonstrates:
The development opens a ream of possibilities for future consumer electronics design. While foldable e-reader screens already exist, rigid batteries have been the stumbling block of creating fully-flexible electronics. Lee’s innovation means that any number of devices could become foldable and paper-thin. The shift in how designers approach these devices – as wearable, more portable, more fluid objects – will yield many once impossible designs.