A Chinese startup has built a nuclear battery which produces power for 50 years, so you don’t need to charge your smartphones or other electronic devices for lifetime.
Researches in the battery tech strived to extend the battery-life while delivering the performance required for the devices. There have been some few innovations in the battery-tech, but none was as revolutionary as this startup’s plan. Just imagine how it would be if you never need to charge any of your electronic devices. That’s what this Chinese startup is planning for through nuclear battery technology.
Beijing-based startup – Betavolt aspires for this goal of next-generation battery, which will significantly impact electronic consumable products sector.
Betavolt’s Nuclear Battery
Though scientists in the Soviet Union and United States were able to develop a technology of thermonuclear batteries for use in spacecraft, and underwater systems, they were both costly and bulky. This created a vacuum for researches and startups to innovate and fill the space. And Betavolt indeed stepped into it.
The nuclear battery by Betavolt is the miniaturization of atomic energy in the size less than that of a coin – first of the kind in the world to do so, it said. The battery has 63 nuclear isotopes packed inside a module, which measures 15 x 15 x 5 cubic millimeters. It works by converting the energy released by decaying isotopes into electricity, through a process that was first explored in the 20th century.
“Betavolt atomic energy batteries can meet the needs of long-lasting power supply in multiple scenarios, such as aerospace, AI equipment, medical equipment, microprocessors, advanced sensors, small drones and micro-robots,” the firm said in a press release.
Betavolt’s first nuclear battery can deliver 100 microwatts of power and a voltage of 3V. It however, plans to produce a battery with 1 watt of power by 2025. One prominent aspect of this nuclear battery is its size, enabling it to be equipped into even small electronic devices like smartwatches and ultimate result is the device that you don’t need to charge it at all.
Nuclear battery had already entered the pilot testing stage and will eventually be mass produced for commercial applications like phones, drones and so on.
This gives China the Power
Innovations differentiate and amplify itself, which gives power to the creator or developer besides providing eminent space in the business. “This new energy innovation will help China gain a leading edge in the new round of AI technological release.”
The quest to develop a miniature nuclear battery for commercial purposes was under China’s 14th Five-year plan designed to strengthen the country’s economy between 2021 and 2025.
While being a pioneer in manufacturing sector and the home of Xiaomi and BBK Electronics (parent company of Vivo, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme), the battery might impact the economy of China, unless and until other countries make such nifty innovation.
What about the Safety of Battery?
Atomic energy batteries are environmentally friendly, writes the research paper. The energy batteries after decay period, the 63 isotopes would turn into a stable isotope of copper, which is non-radioactive and does not pose any threat or pollution to the environment.
When speaking about safety, the nuclear battery “is absolutely safe, has no external radiation, and is suitable for use in medical devices such as pacemakers, artificial hearts and cochleas in the human body,” the company said.
It also claimed that the nuclear battery is capable of working in temperatures ranging from -600C to 1200C.
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