Batteries jump from 30 minutes to 30 years
Not technically Moore's Law, but along the same lines: In work contracted to the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, scientists recently invented a continuous power battery that lasts for 30 years without a single recharge. Woah! I'm happy when I get 30 minutes out of my current laptop battery, but never having to worry about charging it? That's the idea. They're called betavoltaic power cells and use radioisotopes as the energy source. Though it sounds nuclear, it's not hazardous and is environmentally and (more importantly) crotch friendly. They're small, thin and perfect for laptops, and should be hitting the market in 2 to 3 years. This is a huge deal. I read in Wired a year or two back about a company in California that makes electric sports cars powered completely by dozens of traditional lithium-ion power batteries rigged together -- and the car goes quite far before needing to be recharged. Imagine if they replace the lithium-ion rig with betavoltaic power cells. You'd get a car that wouldn't need refueling for 30 years!
Labels: technology











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