Smart Laptop Battery Microsoft Monitors User Behavior

Researchers at Microsoft are working on a smart battery system that monitors user behavior so as to obtain more power from the battery. "Instead of waiting for the perfect battery we use all the technology available today," says researcher Ranveer Chandra.

The researchers have devised a system that different types of batteries in combination with smarter software to laptops and tablets much longer to keep charging. The project is Software Defined Batteries (pdf) called and still is in the research phase. At present, it is often the hardware that determines whether the battery needs recharging, rather than the operating system.

Manufacturers are trying to make batteries or becoming more efficient, but in doing so mainly use better batteries. The developments in the battery field, developments in other areas of computer, such as faster processors and better screens, not able to keep up. In addition, people use their devices more often and for more complex cases. Therefore, there is a need for different options such as quick load for a large meeting or a long load so the laptop during a long flight lasts.

"Everyone wants a better battery and although lithium ion is pretty good, it may be our wishes and needs not keep up," said engineer Julia Meiners Hagen, normally for the development of Microsoft's Surface device is responsible but also working on this project. The software-defined battery system that the researchers devised uses a different approach. For example, the use of different battery packs, which are each optimized for a separate task.

Is then worked together with the operating system in order to determine whether the user is busy with, for example, a Word document, or working on a video. The system uses machine learning to teach the individual behavior of the user, so that the battery consumption can be extended based on how the device is used. "Even the optimization is personalized to the needs of the user," says researcher Anirudh Badam. The system can for example, that the user each day at noon gives a short presentation. This means that the computer would then have to be recharged. Ultimately, the system can also for other devices, such as telephones, can be used.