Eternal Batteries

By Simon Batt / History / December 2020 Issue

What could we accomplish if batteries lasted forever? These two companies want to find out!

Batteries can be a pain to keep working, but the world of smart devices depends on them. When someone puts a sensor out in a field, or sinks one deep into the ocean to measure how the fish are going, it can be hard to keep the batteries going.

Of course, we have handy ways to keep those batteries charged. A device in the field can use solar power, where it sucks up energy from the sun’s rays and converts it into electricity. Small devices in the water can use the energy stored in waves to charge themselves.

There’s a problem, though. Batteries don’t tend to last forever — if you’ve ever tried charging up a really old phone or laptop, you’ll know that the battery will die very quickly even when charged at 100 percent.

This is because batteries have a “lifespan” which only handles so many charges. Back in the olden days, batteries weren’t rechargeable at all; as soon as they were depleted, you had to buy new ones. These days, you can recharge them; however, every time it recharges, it loses a tiny bit of its storage space.

Over time, these little bits add up to a big bit, until it’s noticeable that the battery isn’t lasting as long as it used to. This is a huge problem for smart devices with batteries, because it means that some poor person has to go out and replace all the batteries once they die. But what if they don’t have to? What if we invent…the eternal battery?

This is what the companies Atmosic Technologies and SMK Electronics want to do. They both teamed up to invent a battery that doesn’t wear down as you use it. It is, basically, a battery that lives forever.

There are some great reasons to make an eternal battery, other than the annoyance of having to replace them all when they go flat. Some devices such as health monitors rely on rechargeable batteries, and if they fail during use, it can cause issues for the person wearing them.

By creating a battery that never requires replacing, it will also cut down on how much technology waste we produce. When batteries go dead, there’s not a lot we can do for them; as such, we end up throwing them away, which is a huge waste. However, if they never die, then we can use them as long as we like and reduce waste.

What are some uses that you can think of for an eternal battery? Would any devices you know of help save lives with an eternal battery, like the health monitors? Do you think a battery that never dies would be good for sea exploration, or maybe even for space travel? Who knows — let’s hope these companies make that battery!

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Simon Batt

Simon Batt is a UK-based tech enthusiast and all-around geek. His favourite things are cups of tea, cats, and new gadgets, even though they never mix well.

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