A 30-second smartphone charge may sound quite unbelievable, but apparently it is not impossible to achieve.
Smartphones have evolved into so much more than just phones, but their slew of high-end features and functionality definitely take a toll on battery life. Smartphone charging is constantly advancing to become faster and more efficient, but the latest news is downright impressive.
According to a new report from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the startup behind this incredible technology is called StoreDot and comes from the Nanotechnology department of the Tel Aviv University. StoreDot developed the prototype for the Samsung Galaxy S4, but said that it plans to make such chargers for other smartphones as well.
The startup unveiled its fast-charging prototype at Microsoft's Think Next conference in Tel Aviv, demonstrating how it can charge the smartphone from a red-zone battery level of 27 percent to a full 100 percent in just 30 seconds. The system charges standard phone batteries and it will not be extremely expensive.
StoreDot plans to launch a commercial version of its ultra-fast charger, but doesn't expect to start production until 2016. The commercial model will reportedly cost only twice as much as an average charger, which is up to $30. Currently, the prototype is quite large, about the size of a laptop charger, but the company said it's working on making it smaller. StoreDot still has some work to do to turn its prototype into a commercial product, available for several smartphones, but definitely plans to do it.
StoreDot has reportedly been developing biological semiconductors made from peptides (naturally occurring organic compounds), or short chains of amino acids (the building blocks of proteins), the WSJ further explains. The startup reportedly claims that the same technology can be employed for faster charging, among other things.
If everything works out well, the same technology could eventually provide ultra-fast charging for tablets and laptops as well, although WSJ makes no mention of such plans for now.
StoreDot's achievement has immense potential and could mean great things for the tech industry, but it will not be commercially available anytime soon. In the meantime, watch the video below to see the blazing-fast 30-second vattery charge demonstration.
