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3 Industry-Leading Applications of Structural Batteries

May 7, 2021

Image Credit: Yen Strandqvist/Chalmers University of Technology.

Long before Elon Musk announced that Tesla was looking to integrate batteries into the car’s structure itself to reduce the weight of energy storage, researchers were already developing structural battery solutions. What does it mean to have a “massless” battery, and what are the possible applications for this type of battery?

What are structural batteries?

Batteries can often be the singular heaviest part of a machine; in electric vehicles, battery packs can make up 25% of the entire mass. In mobile applications like vehicles or drones, this means that significant energy is used to carry the battery pack as well. Unlike fuel, which burns away and makes the vehicle lighter over time, batteries maintain their full weight and thus do not spend energy as efficiently.

This obstacle is what structural batteries hope to address. In theory, these types of batteries double as an integral load-bearing part of the machine itself. They are also dubbed “massless” batteries as they do not add any extra mass to the device or machine outside of the necessary structural elements. For instance, Tesla hopes to make the battery pack the floor of the car itself, eliminating the need for a separate car floor to house the heavy batteries.

What materials are used for massless batteries?

Unlike current batteries that are held within a protective battery pack casing, structural batteries must withstand weight independently. For this reason, they need to be made out of much more rigid and sturdy materials. A common choice among structural battery researchers is carbon fiber. It is not only a strong material that can uphold the integrity of a structure; it is also a favorable material for battery anodes due to its high ion-carrying capacity.

Although structural batteries have been under development since the 2000s, there has yet to be a viable rendition. The latest version of a massless battery, developed by researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, was ten times better than previous ones. Yet at an energy density of just 24 wh/kg, it has only 20% of a lithium-ion battery’s capacity. There is still some way to go, but the technology is certainly promising.

Applications and benefits of structural batteries

Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles, from cars and trucks to ships and planes, would greatly benefit from structural batteries. As previously mentioned, vehicle battery packs take up a lot of weight. Integrating energy storage into the structure itself will increase the range capacity of a vehicle, as extra energy is not needed to carry the non-load bearing battery packs. This energy savings would especially be valuable for larger vehicles like cargo trucks and even planes, as it can help address range anxiety.

Robotics

Another exciting application for structural batteries is robotics. Like EVs, batteries for robotics can often constitute 20% of the space or mass of a robot, limiting the designs of robots.

Robotics researchers have been exploring how to integrate the battery into the robot’s anatomy, designing biomorphic batteries that in some ways borrow their concept from energy storage in animals. Basing their research on the way fat tissues store energy throughout the body, scientists are developing ways to distribute energy storage throughout the robot. These types of structural batteries could potentially be used in applications such as body prosthetics as well as flexible or soft robotics.

Medicine and Microelectronics

Microelectronics is also a promising application for structural batteries, especially in medical applications and implants. Structural batteries will allow manufacturers to design these devices in even smaller formats. Battery-powered devices like pacemakers or hearing aids could be redesigned to be more comfortable and more seamlessly integrated into the body.

How battery testing can support research

High-quality, customizable battery testing technology can support the research and development of structural batteries. Arbin’s Regenerative Battery Testing Series, for instance, can test batteries according to a drive cycle, mimicking how a battery would be used in real life. This can provide scientists with a more accurate snapshot of the capabilities of a battery, facilitating and accelerating the testing and development process. Contact us to find out more.

Batteries: A Day in the Life

September 24, 2020

You may not realize it, but batteries – and the latest innovations in the battery industry – impact nearly every part of your day-to-day life.

Batteries have always helped power the world, but their applications and importance are growing all the time, particularly in the wake of movements for cleaner energy, sustainability, efficiency and more.

Batteries, particularly cutting-edge lithium ion batteries, those used in key grid storage applications, and those that power electric vehicles (EVs) have a pretty high calling. However, they also fuel some of the seemingly small things that bring you comfort and functionality every day.

Let’s take a look.

The Role of Batteries in Powering Everyday Life

Consider your cell phone. It’s often also the alarm clock that begins your day, and it’s probably basically attached to your person at all times, right? It wouldn’t function at all without a battery, and it wouldn’t be capable of such a long lifespan or of so many incredible feats of connectivity without a battery providing fuel for the fire.

As you begin your day and interact with the ever-smarter elements of your likely “smart home,” batteries continue to make previously unheard-of automation and functionality more possible than ever.

Batteries help Internet of Things-enabled devices to communicate with one another, making your life simpler, and power the alarm systems, air purifiers, door controls and digital doorbells, medical devices, and more that keep you healthy and safe.

Even if you don’t drive an EV to work, batteries help your car provide the experience you’ve come to rely on. From digital displays and in-car WiFi and navigation to power windows, batteries are present.

And you don’t need this blog to tell you how critical batteries are in your work life. In fact, you might be reading this blog on a laptop or desktop PC that – you guess it – needs power, either in the form of an actual battery or an uninterruptable power supply.

Finally, on a larger scale, batteries are powering the things that keep you safe. From military and defense applications to construction and logistics that shape the world around us and medical and emergency personnel use cases that literally save lives, batteries play an integral role in the fabric of society. They power radios, robotic artificial limbs, machinery and more.

How Arbin Supports the Battery Industry

At Arbin, we recognize how critical batteries are to our modern way of life – and the future of our society. That’s why we continually support battery research and work diligently to craft innovative battery testing equipment designed to make sure that, when batteries are called upon, they simply work.

To learn more about Arbin’s role in supporting the batteries that power our lives, visit https://www.arbin.com/

Robotics in Prosthetics

September 9, 2020

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-07-space-station-motors-robotic-prosthetic.html

When you think of batteries and, more specifically, Arbin’s role in the research that is driving the battery industry forward, it’s likely you picture electric vehicles and other stalwarts of the industry that have gained momentum and become more visible over the past several years.

However, Arbin’s role in the battery industry extends well beyond those boundaries.

Prosthetics and the robotics they’re using to accomplish never-before-seen feats of engineering are using advanced battery innovations to deliver all sorts of incredible results for users, and Arbin is proud to support that progress via support for the battery research making it possible.

Progress in Using Robotics for More Advanced and Beneficial Prosthetics

Recently, the use of advanced batteries has opened up doors to a variety of advances in prosthetics, including:

Extending battery lifespan for more practical use
Supporting robotics making prosthetics quieter and more energy efficient
Leveraging modular batteries

In particular, one robotic prosthetic leg prototype uses small and powerful motors originally designed for use on a robotic arm at the International Space Station to more than double a user’s walking needs on a single charge – without giving up comfort, power, or functionality.

Biomechatronic prosthetics have also improved and innovated upon non-robotic prosthetics, which have traditionally been made of plaster and steel.

These prosthetics combine biosensors, mechanical sensors, a microprocessor-powered controller, and actuators to deliver a more lifelike result for users.

How Batteries Are Helping to Shape the Future of Robotic Prosthetics

Among other industries and technologies, innovators in biomechatronic prosthetics are constantly looking for advances in battery and battery pack technology that can help support their mission to provide lifelike, functional, and comfortable prosthetics.

These robotic prosthetics need more compact, high-density battery solutions not only to provide longer battery life, but to increase overall comfort. As they're quite literally a part of the user’s body, no amount of incredible engineering can make a prosthetic more bearable if it’s too heavy to be used comfortably.

Arbin’s Role in Battery Progress for Robotic Prosthetics

In addition to conducting materials research for a variety of industries and innovations, Arbin helps conduct research in the field of prosthetics and shares the common vision of producing more comfortable, lifelike, powerful, and functional solutions through advancements in batteries.

To learn more, visit https://www.arbin.com/.