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Technology

Ultrasound could spot battery defects that might lead to fires

Potentially dangerous battery damage that would normally be hidden from sight could be revealed quickly and at low cost using ultrasound waves

By Jeremy Hsu

14 December 2023

Close-up of Lithium-ion Cells for High-voltage Electric Vehicle Batteries

Lithium-ion cells for electric vehicle batteries

2023 IM Imagery/Shutterstock

Cheap ultrasound sensors costing just dollars or pennies could reveal defects or damage in the lithium-ion batteries used by smartphones, laptops and electric vehicles – before those issues cause safety problems or lead to expensive recalls.

“It’s a really powerful tool to see what’s inside these lithium-ion cells in a low-cost and low-computational way,” says Royce Copley at the University of Sheffield in the UK.

Lithium-ion batteries power many modern technologies, but…

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