Ilika launches miniaturised battery for 'internet of things'

Materials innovation and solid state battery company Ilika announced its contribution towards solving one of the digital age’s biggest problems on Wednesday, with the launch of its miniaturised solid state battery technology Stereax M250 for the so-called internet of things (IoT).

The AIM-traded company said the Stereax family will enable smaller, higher energy-dense batteries to help accelerate IoT products to market.

"One of the key challenges for IoT devices is enabling long life energy-efficient power sources," said Franco Gonzalez, industry analyst from IDTechEx.

"The combination of energy harvesting and battery technology has been urgently needed to enable small, energy efficient solutions that can easily be installed across a wide range of locations with minimum maintenance."

In a statement, Ilika said that as IoT devices were moving from concept to reality, including in the fields of home automation, transportation and healthcare, a desire to design devices to a ‘fit and forget’ specification - negating the need for battery charging and other further maintenance - was becoming obvious.

It said solid state batteries are key to IoT as they can be used in current energy environments, but match the needs for these smart devices - which often need to power in short bursts to collect and transmit data, as well as support a wide range of temperatures and environments.

Compared to the currently ubiquitous lithium-ion batteries, solid state batteries reportedly have 10x smaller leakage currents and last up to four times longer.

"Building on our R&D heritage in materials science, Ilika has been developing a range of materials that have enabled us to tailor battery designs that meet the specific needs of IoT" said Graeme Purdy, CEO, Ilika.

"For IoT devices to gain wide adoption they need to be able to be fitted then forgotten about, Ilika Stereax™ battery technology is a key to turning this into a reality."