back to article LG's six-sided battery to take smart watches into new timezones

LG Chem, the chemicals arm of the giant LG conglomerate, has revealed a hexagonal battery for smart watches. The idea here is simple: smart watches are round-ish. Batteries today are usually rectangular. So by building a hexagonal battery (not a symmetrical hexagon, sadly) it becomes possible to pack extra power into a …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Wot?

    "The idea here is simple: smart watches are round-ish. Batteries today are usually rectangular. So by building a hexagonal battery (not a symmetrical hexagon, sadly) it becomes possible to pack extra power into a wearable."

    I'm wearing a watch, it's not "smart". Unfortunately I have no idea what shape the battery (cell) is because I've never seen it. The watch is over 10 years old and I've never had to do more than be exposed to sunlight occasionally to charge it. It tells the time pretty well.

    Cells in watches today are usually circular in one elevation and being three dimensional might be described as "cylindrical". The vanishingly small market of "smart" watches compared to "working" watches might like to dally with odd shaped cells (in 2D if that is their thing) but that is their business.

    1. Andy Tunnah

      Re: Wot?

      It means device batteries, not cell batteries

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Wot?

      The battery in that picture has 8 sides, not 6. A cube has 6 sides, as does any other cuboid structure.

      As for "symmetrical hexagon", if one had an application for that, then "round" would be cheaper to manufacture. That is why button batteries are traditionally flat & round, not flat & multi-faceted.

      Manufacturing - it's not for dummies.

  2. goldcd

    "not a symmetrical hexagon, sadly"

    I'd have guessed that was intentional...

    The 'missing' bit of the hexagon, is where you fit in the teensy motherboard that is the watch.

    Battery+mobo=layer 1, screen = layer 2

    If you made the battery the same size as the watch, then you end up with a 3 layer design.

    If you look at current phones or thin laptops, the battery is most of the volume. Main board is usually wrapped around it, as much easier to craft this to fill in the voids, than shaping the battery.

    1. Sorry that handle is already taken. Silver badge

      Re: "not a symmetrical hexagon, sadly"

      The funny thing is that the one the model is holding is symmetrical, but irregular.

      1. keithpeter Silver badge
        Coat

        Re: "not a symmetrical hexagon, sadly"

        I'll say that the plan view of the battery has one line of symmetry and then leave...

        1. Simon Harris

          Re: "not a symmetrical hexagon, sadly"

          and are those chamfers on the top two corners, which would actually make this an octagonal battery?

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    For decades it is already possible to order batteries or cells or whatever to be manufactured in the form factor you wish . You just have to pay for it, can be costly.

    1. Robert Helpmann??
      Childcatcher

      Can Be Costly

      LG has both square and round smart watches; this is probably about making life easier for the designers of future versions of their round watches. If it costs more to make these batteries, they will probably recoup the loss from their customers, from time savings in design, or both. If they are really lucky, the new battery will be adopted by other companies which will bring them some licensing money and drive down manufacturing costs, too.

  4. url

    award to LG for best photoshop ever?

    type comment here

    1. TeeCee Gold badge
      WTF?

      Re: award to LG for best photoshop ever?

      That is a bit shit, isn't it?

      Still trying to work out if any of the elements in shot were actually in the same place at the same time.....

      1. John Smith 19 Gold badge
        Happy

        Re: award to LG for best photoshop ever?

        "Still trying to work out if any of the elements in shot were actually in the same place at the same time....."

        Probably from the photoshop "Generic Korean Ladies" library.

  5. Dr Patrick J R Harkin

    Watches are round, batteries are square...

    Watches are round because of the rotating hand display; there's no mechanical or aesthetic need for something worn on the wrist to be circular. A screen based watch has no real need to be round. So - are hexagonal batteries a solution looking for a problem?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Watches are round, batteries are square...

      "Watches are round because of the rotating hand display"

      Digital watches have been available for around 40 years yet the round shape is very persistent. My observation is that round things are less likely to catch in clothing than rectangular ones and this may be part of the reason; the rest is just familiarity. Cars largely went over to transverse engines years ago yet long bonnets persist though they don't do much for aerodynamics or (nowadays) safety.

      1. Llamanaut

        Re: Watches are round, batteries are square...

        I like my long-ways engine thank you very much!

  6. Alan Denman

    What goes round !

    A CR2032 watch battery is already round as is the tall round single 18650 laptop single cell.

  7. theOtherJT Silver badge

    Wasted space

    I'm still waiting for someone to work out that they can put the battery in the strap. Most watches I've owned the strap was a series of linked flat pieces of metal anyway.

    1. 0laf

      Re: Wasted space

      Might have wanted to patent that idea coz it's not a bad one?

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Wasted space

      It's been done.

      Apple watch strap

  8. ChrisB 2

    Watches are round?

    No, not really. Most watches may be round, but there's plenty that aren't. Plenty of mechanical watches are square or rectangular. A few classic examples can be found here:- http://www.thewatchgallery.com/magazine/hip-to-be-square/

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