ExtremeTech: A unit of the LG conglomerate, LG Chem, has developed a new flexible battery in the shape of a cable just a few millimeters thick. The cable is produced by coiling a nickelâtin wire anode, wrapping it with a lithium cobalt oxide cathode, and filling the resulting tube with an electrolyte. Despite their thinness and flexibility, the wire devices have the same voltage and energy density as a smartphone battery. A 25-cm-long version was able to power an iPod Shuffle for 10 hours. Previously developed flexible batteries were flat, which limited the shapes they could take, and used less-effective materials for their anodes and cathodes. LG hopes to have the battery ready for market by 2017, when it could be used in any number of new form factors for common electronics.
The finding that the Saturnian moon may host layers of icy slush instead of a global ocean could change how planetary scientists think about other icy moons as well.
Modeling the shapes of tree branches, neurons, and blood vessels is a thorny problem, but researchers have just discovered that much of the math has already been done.
January 29, 2026 12:52 PM
Get PT in your inbox
PT The Week in Physics
A collection of PT's content from the previous week delivered every Monday.
One email per week
PT New Issue Alert
Be notified about the new issue with links to highlights and the full TOC.
One email per month
PT Webinars & White Papers
The latest webinars, white papers and other informational resources.