Tetherboard Announces Family of App-Enabled Batteries

With the EPA reporting that over 3 billion dry cell batteries (common household alkaline batteries) are consumed in United States each year, there is already a large opportunity for battery waste reduction through rechargeables and other innovative technologies. Tetherboard, through its family of app-enabled batteries (called Tethercell), seeks to provide an answer to this growing problem. Currently, everyday household batteries are used and disposed of without much knowledge of the remaining power, nor is battery power utilized in the most efficient manner. Tetherboard intends to change all of this this by making batteries more intelligent and interactive.

Tethercell allows individuals, households and companies to conveniently and more effectively deal with battery powered devices by allowing them to: Conveniently turn battery-operated devices on and off remotely; Ensure that objects remain off when they should be off (helping reduce energy waste); Set on and off schedules, limiting the amount of usage when desired; Know when batteries are low, so that replacements can be purchased before the batteries run out of power.

With the proliferation of smartphones and the miniaturization of electronics, both of which are enabling the development of an array of app-enabled objects (such as: lightbulbs with LIFX, door locks with Lockitron, and location sensors with SticknFind), there currently is no effort focused on battery-operated devices or battery technology for that matter.

According to Tetherboard's Co-Founder, Kellan O'Connor: "Tethercell, in its current form, is a test-bed for future embeddable technologies that could reshape the world of batteries. We want to take what we've done so far, shrink it down even further and actually embed the technology into existing battery designs."