South Korean Tech Giants LG And Samsung Unveil Bendable Batteries For Wearable Devices During The COEX Fair In Seoul
On Tuesday, the COEX fair in Seoul witnessed South Korean tech giants LG and Samsung's unveiling of their bendable battery prototypes that are capable of adapting to the compact nature of the fast-growing wearable devices, reported The Chosun Ilbo on Wednesday.
The Samsung SDI bendable band and stripe batteries were developed using the leading technologies and materials.
The stripe is amazingly 0.3mm thick only but is far from being flimsy. Its advanced sealing feature gives more density of energy and protects the materials within the battery from leaking. Its fiber composition also made the battery more flexible than all other bendable batteries.
Meanwhile, the band-type battery has reportedly withstood 50,000 bendings in test conditions and can be contorted to the shape of the human wrist or coiled around two fingers, which makes it perfect for smartwatches. It has also reportedly enhanced battery life by up to 50 percent.
Aside from smart watches, Samsung also proposed application of their bendable batteries for smartphones, t-shirts, hair accessories and even for dog leash.
An engineer for Samsung SDI at the "Battery of Things" exhibition hosted by the company believes that they could make their new batteries available in the market for commercial applications by 2017, noted ZDNet on Friday.
On the other hand, LG Chem's bendable hexagonal battery looks like watch straps and can be aptly used in smartwatches. The product was first announced in June and was branded the "wire battery."
Compared to other flexible batteries that can bend into a full circle with a 30mm radius, the wire battery is capable of bending at a 15mm radius circle.
"The charge of a smartwatch with a bendable battery can last for about a day," claimed an LG spokesman.
According to Tech Times on Wednesday, the bendable batteries of LG and Samsung addressed the short battery life span problem of wearable devices especially that their crimped feature only leaves limited parts that can be fitted into the devices, particularly in smart watches.
