A chip that could extend the battery life of lower power electronics like smartphones in order to work more efficiently. This chip could end the pet peeves of smartphone users: the device getting hot after minutes of using it.
In an article published in Parallel State, Ruyan Guo of the University of Texas at San Antonio has received a total of $50,000 I-Corps grant from the National Science Foundation. This fund would be used to conduct a research and experiment aiming to commercialize a chip that could extend the battery life.
The Robert E. Clark Endowed Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering said that his team has developed the chip, which is about the size of a pin's head. The development was with the University of Texas at San Antonio researcher Shuza Binzaid in the University's Multifunctional Electronic Materials and Devices Research Laboratory, together with graduate student Avadhood Herlekar.
"The purpose of this grant is better to identify the commercial opportunities for technology created at universities," Guo said. Currently, Guo and Binzaid are working with marketplace experts to understand more the what the consumers need so that they could determine on which industry does their chip will fit. One of the people they are coordinating with the development of the chip is University of Texas at San Antonio technology and management specialist Neal Guentzel.
"This chip can be used with anything that runs on a battery," Binzaid said. He added that it manages power in order for the device to last longer.
In addition of the battery life extension feature, the chip will also try to counter one of the problems of electronic users. That problem is when their devices get got after using it for several minutes and hours.
"The heat is a result of a lot of power being used," Guo said. He added that it is a nuisance but with their chip, it would have less power consumption and the heat would be less of an issue.
Currently, Guo and his team are developing more features with the chip. It includes developing it for customized sensors.
