NEC Develops Paper-Thin Mobile Battery

NEC said Wednesday it has developed a flexible, paper-thin battery that eventually will be usable by a variety of mobile devices.

The company dubbed the battery ORB, for "Organic Radical Battery." It said it initially would be used in applications such as smartcards and "intelligent paper." It said the battery can fully recharge in just 30 and, unlike other types of power sources, does not contain any metals that could harm the environment.

Instead, the battery is made out of what it calls a "organic radical polymer." It said the structure for the battery is only 300 microns thick, which is why it is appropriate for applications like smartcards. Because it is bendable, it also is appropriate for paper-like applications or in RFID devices.

However, in a statement, NEC said that it "anticipates that its new and unique battery will be used extensively in the future to power all kinds of tiny ubiquitous terminals."

The company did not say when it would commercialize the battery, but it did say that it intends to continue the research and development effort to increase the performance of the technology. It will show off the technology this week at a trade show in Tokyo.