This week’s big graphene news comes to us from Cambridge University, where researchers have restored the ability of speech back to the vocally-impaired with a sophisticated strain sensor wrapped snuggly around the neck.
Put more plainly: a lip-reading choker.
The graphene plays a critical role in increasing the sensitivity of the sensors, which detect and analyze micromovements in the throat when words are mouthed.
The accuracy of the device is said to exceed 95%.
Lead researcher and head of the Cambridge graphene research center, Dr. Luigi Occhipinti commented:
“Our user-friendly smart choker demonstrates a remarkable ability to efficiently perform in real-world scenarios with users of different genders, geographical, and ethnic backgrounds, across new and potentially ambiguous words of varying lengths and familiarity, and at varying reading speeds.”
A Graphene Fashion Statement That Helps You Talk?
Though still a novelty, this smart wearable is yet another showcase of the power and potential of the world’s first artificial nano-structure.
First isolated 20 years ago, the promise of graphene became the topic of much speculation in the tech media as to potential disruptive applications.
In those early days, we were promised everything from graphene airplanes to graphene prosthetics, but delivery of these wonder products remained in the hazy future.
Today, with the hype of graphene thoroughly worn off, the material is finally starting to find its way into tangible items — this choker being an excellent example.
That said, not all graphene innovations are created equal.
This choker is not likely to change the world, but one far more banal use of the material has the potential to do just that.
Graphene Disruptions… Or Graphene Distractions?
If you’ve been reading Energy and Capital with any regularity, you’ve probably already heard about the incredible performance improvements offered by lithium-free graphene based rechargeable batteries.
Installed in a phone, graphene-aluminum batteries could charge in less than a minute, function for a full week without requiring recharging, and last as long as a decade.
That’s three times the energy density and charge cycle life span of a lithium-ion battery, and at 70 times the charge speed.
Put the same thing into an EV, and you’re charging in less time than it takes to pump a tank of gas and driving for a month or more off that charge.
Like the Cambridge’s smart choker is today, these batteries were once little more than technological novelties, but right now they’re getting dangerously close to commercial production.
And the reason that’s happening is that the same company designing the batteries, has also come up with a method for producing some of the world’s highest quality graphene an order of magnitude cheaper than it cost to produce a decade ago.
This drop in price of production, more than anything else, is what will open the graphene floodgates and with the arrival of these batteries signal the start of this stage of the evolution.
Graphene Scaling Needs This One Ingredient
Because without the economy of scale, whatever difference graphene can make in everyday products will remain nothing more than an anecdote.
The company behind all this is a small Australian firm operating out of the coastal Queensland city of Brisbane.
It’s barely a blip on the radar, but as of last week, the company is fully autonomous in producing some of the world’s most consistently uniform graphene — a necessary step before commercialization of any product can begin.
The company trades for barely $50M USD on two north American exchanges, and because of that, there’s very little chance you’ve ever heard of it.
That’s unfortunately the way it is with the mainstream financial press and the retail investor.
They only give you the “hot” stories, which is actually just a euphemism for tired, used up and overbought.
Hardly anybody outside the industry has ever heard of this stock… But with this sort of industry-disruptive potential, it will not stay a secret much longer.
Get all the pertinent info, right here. Fortune favors the bold, Alex Koyfman His flagship service, Microcap Insider, provides market-beating insights into some of the fastest moving, highest profit-potential companies available for public trading on the U.S. and Canadian exchanges. With more than 5 years of track record to back it up, Microcap Insider is the choice for the growth-minded investor. Alex contributes his thoughts and insights regularly to Energy and Capital. To learn more about Alex, click here.
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