eLightBulbs Lighting Blog > Bendable Batteries and OLED Lights

As technology progresses, portability and physical versatility of our electronic devices relentlessly improves.  Scientists at Stanford University have recently created an ultra-thin rechargeable lithium-ion battery that is no thicker than a single sheet of paper, and can bend just as easily as said paper.  In fact, the bendable battery prototype is a sheet of paper with a dual sided coating of carbon nanotubes followed by an application of a lithium compound.  Stanford estimates one of these bendable batteries could support 300 recharges before needing replacement.

You might wonder what this has to do with light bulbs.  On the surface, perhaps nothing, but lighting in general could benefit from batteries with such supreme portability.  One lighting technology in particular that comes to mind is OLEDs (Organic Light Emitting Diodes).  If you've ever seen any of the recent examples of bending and folding electronic screens, you've seen OLEDs.  These type of lights are even being used for luminescent clothing in some cases!  

 

I can see advertising taking advantage of bendable batteries and OLED lights along with the continually shrinking size and costs of computer technology.  Imagine stickers that play video clips or show a slideshow of pictures.  Children love stickers as they are; just think of relatively large OLED screens with adhesive backing, bendable batteries as well as nano CPUs and harddrives included to create an amazing video sticker.  Technology costs continue to veer toward disposability; advertisers could put these stickers on cereal boxes and children's toys and all manner of packaging.

 

Children would take these video stickers and put them everywhere, just like they do now when they get their hands on regular stickers.  The difference in this possible future is that they would now be placing free advertisements everywhere!  It could be an entirely new way to spread propaganda as well, or just get any information out.  Light bulbs may not yet play a large part in bendable batteries and OLEDs, but it's only a matter of time before these technologies merge to create some amazing stuff.