Do you hate Android’s terrible battery life? You are not alone, almost everyone complain about it.
Even Google’s CEO said so back in 2013. Two years later, it appears that the company is working on a hardware solution for this problem.
According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, the Mountain View company is working on a new battery technology which may. The report says that a four member group, led by Dr. Ramesh Bhardwaj, is developing a new battery in the Google X research lab. It is worth noting that prior to joining Google in 2012, Dr. Bhardwaj was a former employee of Apple Inc., where he worked as a battery expert. The company has at least 20 projects which are dependednt on batteries, including a self-driving car, he told some Industry executives.
Back in February, Dr. Bhardwaj had spoken about solid-state batteries, at a presentation he made. These batteries are thin and have flexible layers, and could be used in smartphones and wearables. His team is working on such a solid-state battery, in a bid to improve on the lithium-ion technology used in today’s mobile devices.
These next-gen batteries could be used in wearable devices like Google Glass, and the company’s Contact lens which measures glucose levels. These batteries transmit a current across a solid, hence the name, solid-state batteries. They are also smaller and safer than electrolyte batteries which have flammable liquids.
However, Venkat Srinivasan, a researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab says that it is unclear whether such thin-film batteries can be mass produced cheaply for smartphones.
We are not sure if Google will implement a solid-state battery on its next Nexus device, but it could be possible.
Google is also reported to be working with AllCell Technologies, Chicago, for better batteries for some of its projects.
And Google isn’t the sole company hoping for a breakthrough in battery technology. Apple, Tesla Motors Inc. and International Business Machines Corp, have all given it a shot, but have failed to deliver a major result.
