November 26, 2015 - 14:19 AMT
New chip could help future smartphones charge in under 10 minutes

Smartphones of the near future could reach full power after just ten minutes of charging thanks to a revolutionary new chip, Digital Spy reports.

Rachid Yazami of Singapore's Nanyang Technological University has developed a fingernail-sized component that changes the way a device draws in power.

Current lithium power cells are drip-fed energy to prevent overheating, but Yazami's chip allows batteries to recharge uninterrupted without the risk of catching fire.

The technology uses an algorithm to monitor how much charge is left in the battery, as well as its temperature and voltage.

"Although the risk of a battery failing and catching fire is very low, with the billions of lithium-ion batteries being produced yearly, even a one-in-a-million chance would mean over a thousand failures," Yazami said.

Yazami is hoping that his chip will boost charging capabilities in everything from electric cars to mobile phones, and he's already held talks with Sony, Sanyo and Samsung about bringing it to their products.

Discussions with Tesla are also planned and the technology should be available to license early next year.