Korean Scientists Create ‘Folding’ Battery

Folding batteries have eluded scientists for years, but thanks to scientists with the Korean Advanced Institute Of Science And Technology, the idea of a flexible battery may not be all that far-fetched.

Perhaps the biggest limitation on portable electronics like cell phones and tablets is screen size, but if manufacturers can produce a foldable battery, then it could lead to gadgets with big screens that can fold up and be put in your purse or pocket, reports Mashable.

While manufacturers have already been able to produce foldable screens, the battery, which is probably the biggest part of most portable devices, has remained rigid, making it impossible to create a fully bendable gadget.

Professor Keon Jae Lee and his team successfully created a lithium-ion battery that is incredibly thin and retains its voltage, even while being bent. Now that they have produced one battery like this, Lee is looking into mass-production techniques, and finding a way to stack the batteries for a larger power output.

Engadget reports that Lee stated of the invention:

“The advent of a high performance flexible thin film battery will accelerate the development of next-generation fully flexible electronic systems in combination with existing flexible components such as display, memory, and LED.”

Tech Crunch’s John Biggs writes that the rechargeable lithium-ion battery is printed on a thin film, allowing it to be flexible. Just last month a group of researchers at Rice University in Texas announced the invention of a spray-on battery that has lithium-ion properties.

Take a look below to see the foldable battery in action:

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