Scientists come up with a flexible battery that can be woven into clothes

While there are t-shirts that incorporate the use of batteries to light up the design, they can hardly be described as convenient. After all, having a battery pack strapped to the inside of your shirt can’t be all that comfortable, right? Well scientists from the Polytechnic School of Montreal have reportedly come up with a flexible battery that can not only be woven into fabric, but is apparently the first wearable battery that uses no liquid electrolytes.

This was achieved by sandwiching a solid polyethylene oxide electrode between a lithium-ion phosphate cathode and lithium titanium anode. These thermoplastic materials when gently heated can apparently be stretched into a thread, making it possible to actually weave it into garments. According to the project’s frontman, Maksim Skorobagatiy, the woven battery has enough power to emit a distress signal and could even save a life by defibrillating a patient.

Their plans are to eventually incorporate the woven battery into backpacks and medical-monitoring garments, but their next step would be to waterproof the technology first.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Gadgets
Tags: batteries