Panasonic's flexible battery can be bent thousands of times.

One of the main limiting factors in the field of wearable electronics are batteries. And the problem is not that they do not have the necessary capacity with sufficiently small sizes in order to, say, fit on the wrist (however, the more energy the better). And the fact that the battery is a solid object, occupying a certain amount. That is why smart watches are quite large in size. Reducing the size of the device will inevitably entail the use of a smaller battery, and, accordingly, the capacity.

Panasonic has found a solution in the form of a flexible rechargeable battery. The prototype was presented at the CEATEC Japan technology exhibition, and it looks promising.


The thickness of the prototype is 0.55 mm; after repeated bending and twisting (more than 1000 times), it retains 99-100% of the charge , which indicates its high wear resistance. This means that it is suitable for everyday use. However, it holds a charge of only 17 mAh, and two versions of a larger volume - 40 mAh and 60 mAh, respectively. For comparison, Apple Watch has a 205 mAh battery installed.

Obviously, there is still a lot of work to be done on capacity, but it is the capabilities of this battery that open up a wide horizon for development. Just imagine that there is an extra battery in the bracelet of your smart watch, and when it is discharged, you can simply change the bracelet.
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Flexible batteries expand the list of devices in which batteries can be used, but also expand the list of new gadgets that can be created. We all saw prototypes of displays that roll up into a tube. Now you can attach a flexible battery on the reverse side of such a screen, in the end getting a fully flexible solution. This is to come, but it is a matter of time.


Panasonic sent a prototype to manufacturers this May. True, in commercial devices, we will not see such batteries until at least 2018. Most likely, the first such devices will be bracelets for watches and smart cards, and I doubt that manufacturers of smart watches will ignore such an opportunity to improve their autonomy.