# Rebuilding the Battery - MTO Spark Tank

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ubzih7ZcB8I
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/Ubzih7ZcB8I
Generated: 2025-09-19T19:34:42.065+00:00

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## Quick Overview

The presentation introduces the concept of flexible, "universal batteries" that can change shape and size without sacrificing energy density, safety, or cost, highlighting the challenges and potential solutions in their development and manufacturing.

**Key Points:**
- Technology around batteries is evolving rapidly, but battery design hasn't kept pace, leading to questions about how to design batteries that can change shape and size without compromising performance.
- The current state of battery technology relies on rigid metals and designs that are not easily adaptable to various form factors.
- The presentation poses the question: What if a battery was designed differently, allowing it to be flexible and adaptable to different use cases?
- Traditional battery designs, like cylindrical/prismatic cells, are rigid and limit their application in devices with unconventional shapes.
- The speaker references the need for batteries that can be integrated into diverse applications, from drones and electric vehicles to consumer electronics.
- The goal is to create batteries that are not only flexible but also maintain critical performance metrics like energy density, safety, and cost-effectiveness.
- Future battery development may involve exploring new materials, manufacturing methods, and designs that move beyond the limitations of current technology.

![Screenshot at 00:00: The title slide of the presentation, "Rebuilding the Battery," with the speaker identified as Dr. Thomas Schrattwieser, Program Manager, DARPA/MTO.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Ubzih7ZcB8I/00-00-00.png)

**Context:** The presentation, delivered by Dr. Thomas Schratwieser, Program Manager at DARPA/MTO, discusses the challenge of "Rebuilding the Battery." It highlights the disparity between the rapid evolution of technologies that require batteries (like drones, AI, electric vehicles) and the relative stagnation in battery design itself. The current reliance on rigid, traditional battery forms limits their integration into diverse and evolving technological applications.

## Detailed Analysis

The presentation 'Rebuilding the Battery' by Dr. Thomas Schrattwieser of DARPA/MTO addresses the critical need for a new generation of batteries that can adapt their shape and size to suit a variety of applications without compromising essential performance factors such as energy density, safety, and cost. Schrattwieser points out that while technology surrounding batteries is advancing rapidly in areas like drones, datacenters, AI, electric vehicles, and consumer electronics, battery design itself has lagged behind. Current batteries, typically cylindrical or prismatic, are rigid and not easily integrated into devices with unconventional shapes. This limitation prompts the question of how to design batteries differently to leapfrog current limitations. The speaker draws parallels to the historical development of batteries, noting that the fundamental design of stacked anodes and cathodes in a row, dating back to Alessandro Volta's invention in 1800, has not significantly changed. He contrasts this with the evolution of other technologies, like the automotive industry, where design has become much more flexible. The presentation emphasizes the importance of developing batteries that are not only flexible but also maintain their energy density, safety, and cost-effectiveness, suggesting that this requires innovation in materials and manufacturing processes. The speaker poses a challenge: to create batteries that can be integrated into various form factors, such as the 'universal battery' concept, and to explore new manufacturing methods that allow for this flexibility, potentially drawing inspiration from advancements in flexible electronics and materials science.

### Introduction

- The need for battery innovation
- Rapid technological advancement in devices
- Stagnation in battery design
- Limitations of current rigid battery forms

### The Problem

- Battery design vs. technological needs
- Inflexibility of cylindrical/prismatic cells
- Challenges in integrating batteries into diverse shapes

### The Question

- What if batteries were designed differently?
- How to achieve shape and size adaptability
- Maintaining energy density, safety, and cost

### Historical Context

- Evolution of battery technology
- The enduring design of stacked anodes and cathodes
- Contrast with advancements in other fields

### Potential Solutions

- Exploring new materials and manufacturing methods
- The concept of a 'universal battery'
- Learning from flexible electronics and materials science

### Future Outlook

- Leapfrogging current limitations
- Creating adaptable and efficient energy storage solutions

![Screenshot at 00:00: Title slide of the presentation, 'Rebuilding the Battery', by Dr. Thomas Schrattwieser, Program Manager, DARPA/MTO.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Ubzih7ZcB8I/00-00-00.png)
![Screenshot at 00:19: Slide titled 'Reimagining the Battery' highlights the rapid evolution of technology around batteries and the need for battery design to keep pace.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Ubzih7ZcB8I/00-00-19.png)
![Screenshot at 00:34: The speaker explains how technology around batteries is evolving at a rapid pace, powering devices like drones, datacenters, electric vehicles, and consumer electronics.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Ubzih7ZcB8I/00-00-34.png)
![Screenshot at 00:49: The slide points out that battery design hasn't kept up, with traditional cylindrical/prismatic cells and pouch cells being the primary forms.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Ubzih7ZcB8I/00-00-49.png)
![Screenshot at 01:13: The speaker poses the question: 'What if a battery was designed differently? What would it look like? How could it be used?'](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Ubzih7ZcB8I/00-01-13.png)
![Screenshot at 01:41: The speaker shares personal experience working with wide bandgap semiconductors and phosphorus for power generation, relating it to battery technology.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Ubzih7ZcB8I/00-01-41.png)
![Screenshot at 01:53: The speaker discusses the limitations of current batteries, noting that the average soldier carries 20 lbs of batteries for a three-day mission, and that batteries are not designed to be malleable.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Ubzih7ZcB8I/00-01-53.png)
![Screenshot at 02:34: The speaker suggests that a solution could be to design batteries with malleable properties, allowing them to be shaped and fit into various devices.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Ubzih7ZcB8I/00-02-34.png)
![Screenshot at 03:17: The speaker draws a parallel to the Boston Dynamics Atlas robot, which famously had a large battery pack on its back, and discusses how flexible batteries could be integrated more seamlessly.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Ubzih7ZcB8I/00-03-17.png)
![Screenshot at 03:43: The speaker highlights the limitations of current battery technology in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war and the increased use of drones, emphasizing the need for more adaptable power solutions.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Ubzih7ZcB8I/00-03-43.png)