“Energy density is still quite far from the power we need for robotics,” says Ravinder Dahiya, an electrical engineer specializing in robotics at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. For mobile robots to be more capable workers, their batteries will need greater energy density - that is, they will need to pack more watt-hours of energy into fewer kilograms of mass. But the company does not say how long it can run before it needs a recharge. ![]() Atlas, the company’s 1.5 metre, 89-kilogram humanoid demonstrator with two arms and two legs, can do gymnastics and lift heavy objects. Humanoid robots that have been developed to walk with heavy loads have the same limitations. But, the company states it has a typical run-time of only 90 minutes. Boston Dynamics, a robotics company in Waltham, Massachusetts, sells a four-legged dog-size robot called Spot that weighs about 32 kg - one-eighth of which is batteries. Mobile robots on legs, however, can’t tolerate such massive batteries. An electric car that can travel for five hours (around 500 kilometres, the distance from Paris to Amsterdam) at motorway speed between recharges needs batteries that account for one-third or more of the total vehicle weight. If you pick up a cordless tool, you will feel that it outweighs a corded one. But transporting robots or people around, or lifting a heavy load, takes much more energy. That illusion arises because modern electronics need only a trickle of energy to send signals or process data. The compact nature of smartphones can fool us into thinking batteries are featherweight objects. Part of Nature Outlook: Robotics and artificial intelligence Mobility gives robots more flexibility, but at the cost of needing to recharge their energy sources - in most cases, some form of battery. Robots anchored to a factory floor can do heavy work all day and all night because they can draw inexhaustible energy from the electric grid. This problem is specific to mobile robots. Like humans, mobile robots eventually exhaust the energy that they carry, and need a recharge. But if you watched them strut their stuff for an hour or two, you would see the robots grind to a halt. Mobile robots can dance around a stage, perform graceful acrobatics and even lift heavy objects. Credit: Mostafa Bassim/New York Times/Redux/eyevine Single-crystal cathodes will be used in pouch and cylindrical cells, including the next-generation 46-millimeter-wide, 80-millimeter-long cylindrical batteries, the company said.The New York Fire Department purchased two dog-sized robots built by robotics company Boston Dynamics based in Waltham, Massachusetts, to use in hazardous situations. LG Chem is starting off with a 2:8 ratio in the single-crystal and polycrystalline proportions, respectively, and plans to upgrade the cathodes to a 100 percent single-crystal structure in phases. Single-crystal cathodes increase the energy density in the battery, eventually making an EV perform better by more than 10 percent, LG Chem said. The cracks can cause gas to form and gradually decrease the battery's lifespan. Single-crystal cathode materials are made with various metals, such as nickel, cobalt and manganese, into a one-body structure, regarded as a key solution to improving the lifespan and capacity of next-generation batteries.Ĭathodes are a core component that determines the power of lithium-ion batteries and account for about 40 percent of battery production costs.Ĭonventional cathodes have a polycrystal structure consisting of metal particles aggregated into smaller clusters, often creating fissures as charging and discharging are repeated. LG Chem plans to expand the single-crystal cathode production lines to its factory in the southeastern city of Gumi, with the aim of producing 50,000 tons a year. Cheongju is located 112 kilometers south of Seoul. The first output of the single-crystal cathodes will be delivered to clients from its Cheongju plant, starting in July, the chemical company said in a release. LG Chem said Monday it has begun mass production of a next-generation high-nickel cathode material made with a single crystal structure that enhances the power of electric vehicle batteries. ![]() ![]() LG Chem's cathode plant in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, 112 kilometers south of Seoul, is seen in this June 26 photo provided by the company.
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