Panasonic reveals bendable battery at Ceatec - lithium ion battery manufacturers
With Panasonic rolling out flexible lithium-ion batteries at the Japan Technology Expo Ceatec, flex-able devices in the mass market may be one step closer.
Batteries can be used in wearable devices such as watches, fitness bands and smart watchesclothing.
Its capacity is small, which means it is not suitable for power supply
Intensive smartphones at this stage.
Experts say this is an "exciting development", but Panasonic is not the first company to work on it.
Ben Wood, an analyst at research firm CCS, told the BBC: "Other manufacturers such as LG and Samsung are also making great efforts for more flexible technologies, such as batteries, screens or more.
"I bet Panasonic's new technology is just one piece of a more complex puzzle and it will take a while before we can see a real disruptive device coming up.
"Designed for" card-
The flexible battery of Panasonic is 0. 55mm (0.
022in) thick, the maximum "bending" is 25 degrees.
The company says the battery "maintains its properties" even if it is bent repeatedly ". Smart-
Cards usually packed in wallets and pockets need internal components that can withstand bending and twisting, but they also degrade when they bend.
The curved smartphone has been around for a while, but the foldable display is still conceptually.
Mr Wood said the design of this battery could "provide space for a disruptive new curved design ", all manufacturers are keen to "deliver exciting new equipment in the same ocean of growing electronics ".
But there are still challenges ahead, he added.
"Individual flexible batteries do not solve all the design challenges, as other materials and components also require flexibility," he said . ".
Samsung is believed to be working on a flexible phone, and a recent patent published on patmobile appears to show the design of a rolled-up smartphone.
Panasonic flex batteries will start shipping by the end of October, the company said.
BBC Click will get more information from Ceatec on TV this weekend.
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