Kobe Archive

  • New Hitachi tech to double lithium-ion battery life

    New Hitachi tech to double lithium-ion battery life

    Lithium-ion batteries are everywhere, powering small gadgets, cars or even buildings. It's not a surprise to see a number of companies currently working on improvements. Just a few weeks ago, we reported about Japan-based Eamex, which claimed their prototype battery can be charged and discharged over 10,000 times and can be used for about 20 years. And now Hitachi is claiming a new material they developed could double the life span of lithium ion batteries. The company has partnered up with Shin-Kobe Electric Machinery, saying batteries based on the material could be used in smart grid applications (Hitachi says that segment alone will be worth $32 billion by 2020).

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  • Giant Gundam statue to make a comeback next year

    Giant Gundam statue to make a comeback next year

    He'll be back: The awesome 1/1 scale Gundam statue that was erected on Tokyo's artificial island Odaiba in June and that was deconstructed in September this year, will be seen again in its full glory. We reported several times about the statue, which stands 60 feet tall and shows some cool special effects (see video below).

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