LG Chem is bringing 25% more battery capacity to wearable devices.
When it comes to wearables, especially smartwatches, one of the biggest obstacles to overcome so far has been battery life. Given that the devices are adorned to the wrist, size and space are often limited. As a result, batteries are required to adhere to certain form factors in order to properly nestle inside.
Open up any mobile gadget today and chances are that its rechargeable battery boasts a square or rectangular shape. With a restricted amount of space, such a shape may not always be the best option when it comes to a circular watch. This leaves quite a bit of wasted room that could be filled by battery. In an attempt to solve this conundrum, LG Chem has come up with a solution: a coin-sized, hexagonal battery.
This new innovation, which sports a design that allows for it to cover more surface area, reportedly improves capacity as much as 25% compared to its rectangular counterparts. With the charge of most smartwatches somewhere around one day, this battery will prove to be favorable for manufacturers looking to give their device a little more juice and push the boundaries of heavy usage.
Even better, this is only the beginning. LG has shared plans for other unusually-shapped batteries, which include an L-shaped one and a rectangular model with a hole in the middle, that are said to improve the running time of gadgets without compromising their aesthetics. And it couldn’t come at a better time, as reports suggests that smartwatches will make up at least 40% of the wearable market by 2016.
Growing up, we were always told to abide by the “KISS” principle — or “Keep it simple, stupid” — which states that most systems work best if their design doesn’t entail any unnecessary complexities. This also applies to wearable technology, as LG has demonstrated. In order to take these body-adorned devices to the next level, innovation is needed everywhere, from MCU and screen power to wireless and battery capabilities.
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