It has been reported that funding from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory has resulted in the development of a betavoltaic battery that can last for 30 years. The batteries are thin and small, and, get this, environmentally friendly. When they finally die (if you’re still alive), they are “totally inert and non-toxic.” Crazy stuff. And they’re set to hit the shelves in two to three years.

To me, this is HUGE (all caps). This puts mobile out in front in a way like never before. Think of the implications. With this sort of lasting power, why does anything ever need to be on paper? Everyone could have a laptop “reader” for news equipped with wi-fi (which should be ubiquitous, but that’s another article), and it could have an interface like Microsoft Surface or the iPhone. At that point, why would the paper still need to exist?

I find this development fascinating, and as some of the creators of the Internet said, it’s really only the technology that’s holding us back at this point. As these new developments continue to happen, whether it be bandwidth increases, longer lasting batteries, etc., the way we interact with and receive information will continue to change drastically.

With this sort of power, honestly, do we need to continue to waste so much paper? Do we still television and radio? What else do you think will die? Or do you think everything will last?

**to read more articles by this author, click on the name under the headline**

Comments (2)

Name

Title

Comment

Add Comment