Scientists have developed a battery-free hand-held video game console or 'Game Boy' that harvests energy from the user to allow infinite gameplay.
"But this Game Boy is not just a toy. It's a powerful proof-of-concept that pushes the boundaries of battery-free intermittent computing into the realm of fun and interaction," the researchers at Northwestern University and the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Netherlands, wrote.
Instead of batteries, which are costly, environmentally hazardous and ultimately end up in landfills, this device harvests energy from the sun — and the user. These advances enable gaming to last forever without having to stop and recharge the battery.
"It's the first battery-free interactive device that harvests energy from user actions. When you press a button, the device converts that energy into something that powers your gaming," said study co-author Josiah Hester.
"Sustainable gaming will become a reality, and we made a major step in that direction by getting rid of the battery completely," said TU Delft's Przemyslaw Pawelczak.
"With our platform, we want to make a statement that it is possible to make a sustainable gaming system that brings fun and joy to the user," Pawelczak added.
The researchers' energy-aware gaming platform (ENGAGE) has the size and form factor of the original Game Boy, while being equipped with a set of solar panels around the screen. Button presses by the user are the second source of energy. Most importantly, it impersonates the Game Boy processor. Although this solution requires a lot of computational power, and therefore energy, it allows any popular retro game to be played straight from its original cartridge.
As the device switches between power sources, it does experience short losses in power. To ensure an acceptable duration of gameplay between power failures, the researchers designed the system hardware and software from the ground up to be energy-aware as well as very energy efficient. They also developed a new technique for storing the system state in non-volatile memory, minimizing overhead and allowing quick restoration when power returns.
This eliminates the need to press "save" as seen in traditional platforms, as the player can now continue gameplay from the exact point of the device fully losing power, even if Mario is in mid-jump.
On a not-too-cloudy day, and for games that require at least moderate amounts of clicking, gameplay interruptions typically last less than one second for every 10 seconds of gameplay.
The researchers found this to be a playable scenario for some games, including Chess, Solitaire and Tetris but certainly not yet for all (action) games.
The research team will present the study virtually at UbiComp 2020, a major conference within the field of interactive systems, on September 15. IANS
As smartphones become more and more advanced; chips and operating systems powering them become more energy efficient; we still live with handsets that last a day or two before having to recharge. We are still distant from a phone that backs a week’s power, but the tech world is headed for a power revolution which will improve battery life to complement the growing trends in smartphone technology.
Lithium-ion battery is the backbone of everything from smartphones to tablets and electric cars to pacemakers. But with high dependence, lithium is close to its threshold, which has got researches thinking, experimenting and developing (in very nascent stage) the next battery breakthroughs.
Overnight changes in technology are pretty scarce. Changes happen steadily, as has been the case with lithium batteries which are now almost 10x their capacity to when they first made way into smartphones. More often than not, the alternations in lithium-ion have been mostly limited to making batteries compact without risking safety. There are certain battery technologies in early stage existence that could in the future surpass the currently used power sources.
Albeit, it is unlikely that suddenly one day we will wake up to a smartphone with a battery to juice it up with twice the energy now possible. No matter how far-fetched the dream is, a smartphone with battery backup of a few days will be better than a phone that folds, twists or even has a holographic display.
Despite the fact that smartphones usually have a day’s worth of power and people have gotten used to charging them overnight (or when the power gives way); battery life remains the biggest selling point for a device – whether the phone has 144Hz refresh rate or a Snapdragon 865 SoC under the hood. It is so important that OEMs and their advertising strategies rest upon how long the battery can last and now with fast – wired and wireless – charging, how quickly the battery can charge.
Manufacturers are pumping in more milliampere (mAh) in thinner batteries that are making slimmer smartphone a norm. But the situation remains unaltered – the backup capacity is only bumped up marginally. A considerable way to give your battery life a push is with bulky and usually expensive accessories including power banks and phone cases with battery.
Power revolution awaits
Phone batteries have varying applications to satiate the hardware and software demands of the device, but the efficiency rests on its volumetric energy density – to provide largest possible amount of energy in the most compact form factor. This variation is served by just one form of tech – lithium-ion.
It’s imperative to see forthcoming innovations that could impact each application in different manner and meet the growing need of power-hungry phones the market is headed for. Considering the demand, numerous research teams and tech companies are exploring possibilities to improve battery capacities and charging times.
Plenty of work is underway in lithium-ion, however, exploration is being made in graphene, silicon-based anode, solid-state electrolyte and a handful of other options, which have their advantages over lithium batteries. Samsung is ahead in the race of experimenting with phone batteries.
Graphene batteries are seen as the nearest solution to lithium-ion since these can store more energy, charge quicker and hold charge way longer than their lithium counterparts. Samsung is allegedly working on a smartphone powered by patented graphene battery technology that could allow a phone to charge fully in less than 30 minutes.
To put that into perspective, the Galaxy S20 Ultra with 5,000 mAh battery takes 60 minutes to charge 100 percent using its 45W charger. Currently the fastest charging phone, OPPO Find X2 with 4,260 mAh battery takes 39 minutes to fully charge with its 65W super VOCC 2.0 charger.
Samsung is not long and alone in the race; often considered underdog, Huawei is closing on the heels of the South Korean electronics giant. It was recently rumored that Huawei P40 would have a graphene battery. Though the 2020 variant of the smartphone doesn’t feature the said battery, it is projected to launch with one in 2021.
When and what lithium battery alternative will make way into the ever-evolving phone market, is anyone’s guess for now. Until a new form makes public appearance in a big way and companies begin to adopt it as their baby; keep your batteries safe and plugged.
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