Meet the Batteriser from Silicon Valley’s Batteroo: it’s a $2.50 gadget that allegedly extends battery life up to eight times by using patented micro-circuitry. The stainless steel device, measuring 0.1 mm in thickness, fits into most battery compartments and will be available in a number of variations, including AA, AAA and C.
According to Batteroo’s founder Bob Roohparvar, who holds a PhD in electrical engineering, most disposable batteries allow users to consume merely 20 percent of their battery life. His company is hoping to change that, letting consumers tap into the remaining 80 percent with a relatively simple solution.
“When we get a new battery it is 1.5 volts, when we use it in a device it goes down to 1.3 volts under load condition, at that point we consider it to be dead and throw it away” said Dr. Kiumars Parvin, a professor of physics at San Jose State University. “We tested the Batteriser sleeve in our lab and we confirmed that the Batteriser taps into the 80 percent of energy that is usually thrown away.”
So how does the circuitry work? Roohparvar explains (see the diagram below as well).
"DC-DC boost converter in a very simplified layman term is a circuit that is consistent of an inductor, a transistor switch driven by PWM (Pulse Width Modulating circuit), diode, capacitor and load. PWM is a periodic square wave generator which has a on or off states," he says. "When PWM turns the transistor switch on, during this time cycle the battery transfers energy to the inductor in which it gets stored. Next, during the time that PWM is off, for this portion of period, the stored energy due to back emf generates a polarity that adds to battery voltage and hence output of this circuit produces approximately a voltage that is the sum of battery voltage and the voltage across the inductor."
Roohparvar says the gadget is chemical-free and safe for airline travel. It’s essentially a sleeve that fits over a new or used battery. The effect of the Batteriser is instant and can be reused.
“There’s actually no IP [intellectual property] in the boost circuitry,” he told PC World. “Our technology is really a miniaturization technique that allows us to build the sleeve. We have some IP in some of the IC circuits that are in there, but the key is we’ve been able to miniaturize the boost circuit to a point that no one else has been able to achieve.”
If it turns out to be effective, this simple device could cause quite a stir in the disposable battery industry – one that rakes in approximately $3.5 billion a year in the United States alone.
What are your thoughts on the Batteriser? Do you think it could actually revolutionize the disposable battery industry? Let us know by commenting below.
For more information on the Batteriser, visit Batteriser.com.