New kinds of batteries may not dazzle consumers like new apps or gadgets, but like tiny transistors, they are at the heart of technology advancement
Gene Berdichevsky, Sila’s chief executive and co-founder, in Alameda, Calif. on Sept. 1, 2021. Berdichevsky who oversaw Tesla’s battery technology as the company built its first electric car. (Ulysses Ortega/The New York Times)
ALAMEDA, Calif. — The new Whoop fitness tracker straps around the wrist a lot like any other health monitor or smartwatch. But you can also buy a sports bra or leggings equipped with this tiny device, which can be a sliver of electronics stitched into the fabric of clothes.
Squeezing a fitness tracker into such a svelte package was no small feat, said John Capodilupo, Whoop’s chief technology officer. It required a whole new kind of battery. The battery, built by a California startup, Sila, provided the tiny fitness tracker with more power than older batteries while maintaining the same battery life.
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