Imprint Energy is developing a long-lasting, bendable
and rechargeable battery.
A California startup is developing flexible, rechargeable
batteries that can be printed cheaply on commonly used
industrial screen printers.
Imprint Energy, of Alameda, California, has been testing
its ultrathin zinc-polymer batteries in wrist-worn devices and
hopes to sell them to manufacturers of wearable electronics
medical devices, smart labels, and environmental sensors.
The company’s approach is meant to make the batteries
safe for on-body applications while their small size and
flexibility will allow for product designs that would have
been impossible with bulkier lithium-based batteries.
Even in small formats, the batteries can deliver enough
current for low-power wireless communications sensors
distinguishing them from other types of thin batteries.
So the company built its own test rig and began
benchmarking its batteries against commercial
batteries that claimed to be flexible.
Existing batteries failed catastrophically after fewer
than 1,000 bending cycles she says, while Imprint’s
batteries remained stable.
Imprint has also been in talks about the use of
its batteries in clothes and "weird parts of your
body like your eye," Ho says.
The company also recently began working on
a project funded by the U.S. military to make
batteries for sensors that would monitor the
health status of soldiers.
Other potential applications include powering smart
labels with sensors for tracking food and packages.
and rechargeable battery.
A California startup is developing flexible, rechargeable
batteries that can be printed cheaply on commonly used
industrial screen printers.
Imprint Energy, of Alameda, California, has been testing
its ultrathin zinc-polymer batteries in wrist-worn devices and
hopes to sell them to manufacturers of wearable electronics
medical devices, smart labels, and environmental sensors.
The company’s approach is meant to make the batteries
safe for on-body applications while their small size and
flexibility will allow for product designs that would have
been impossible with bulkier lithium-based batteries.
Even in small formats, the batteries can deliver enough
current for low-power wireless communications sensors
distinguishing them from other types of thin batteries.
Despite demand for flexible batteries, Ho says no
standard has been developed for measuring their
flexibility frustrating customers who want to
compare chemistries.
standard has been developed for measuring their
flexibility frustrating customers who want to
compare chemistries.
So the company built its own test rig and began
benchmarking its batteries against commercial
batteries that claimed to be flexible.
Existing batteries failed catastrophically after fewer
than 1,000 bending cycles she says, while Imprint’s
batteries remained stable.
Imprint has also been in talks about the use of
its batteries in clothes and "weird parts of your
body like your eye," Ho says.
The company also recently began working on
a project funded by the U.S. military to make
batteries for sensors that would monitor the
health status of soldiers.
Other potential applications include powering smart
labels with sensors for tracking food and packages.
Sources: http://www.technologyreview.com/