Dubbed PowerPad, the battery is activated with a few drops of water and produced from materials such as cellulose, carbon and wax. It can run a small device for up to 100 minutes.
“Currently we have a research prototype in the lab, and it’s designed to deliver on the order of a few milliwatts of power and it lasts for a few hours,” SFU Professor Erik Kjeang tells news1130. “It’s a disposable, single-use battery that works like any other disposable battery that people use everyday. The difference with this battery is that it’s biodegradable.” The battery is being developed in partnership with Barcelona’s Institute of Microelectronics.