News out of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois confirms what we’ve been hoping would become a reality for ages – better batteries! Certainly, having portable devices as powerful as a Transformer Prime, G74, or ZENBOOK is superb, but all of them rely on optimizing existing battery technology. While engineers have been able to extend battery ranges on various mobile devices through clever, more efficient hardware, the reality remains that our current battery technology still puts limits on our usage of devices.
Imagine going on a three day mobile gaming bender (not that we condone that kind of behaviour - Ed)
Right now, getting 12 hours or so out of a device is considered impressive. Imagine if your powerful tablet or even laptop could run for 2-3 days with no need to recharge? How would that affect your productivity, enjoyment, and ability to do more with technology? It would have a huge impact on all of us!
Researchers at Northwestern have figured out a way to redesign the electrodes used in lithium-ion batteries. The whole process is obviously quite scientific and hard to explain for someone such as yours truly, but head researcher Harold Kung says the new battery design lasts ten times longer than current batteries. He also asserts that these batteries, with their faster and more consistent chemical reactions, can be recharged ten times faster than what we have now. So not only will we get to operate devices longer, downtime will be minimized when charging up becomes necessary.
Zen that lasts days and days
Northwestern scientists are right now finalizing their papers on the new battery technology, which as of this writing doesn’t seem to have any commercial or catchy name. Check out the full press release and details right here. They expect the revamped lithium-ion batteries to arrive on the market in three to five years. It will certainly be great to have devices that free you from battery worries! Let us know in the comments what you’d do with all that extra battery time…
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