The details about the features and release date of the new Samsung Galaxy 8 bring back the specter of the “explosive” Galaxy Note 7. This case has become an excellent study of how a large company must (or must not) respond to crisis situations—a subject that will surely continue to be analyzed in business schools worldwide for years to come.
Moreover, this incident also drew the attention of many technology enthusiasts to an often-overlooked point amidst their fierce demand and fascination for new gadgets: innovation cannot come at any cost. Above all, it cannot be achieved by compromising user safety.
In my daily work, I encounter groundbreaking ideas and incredible technological advances that I would consider perfect if not for one small detail: they are not yet 100% safe to be introduced to the market. To be precise, and sticking to the field of batteries for mobile devices, I’ll mention two major discoveries that promise to revolutionize energy storage on a small scale, potentially replacing current Li-ion batteries in a few years: nanoporous supercapacitors and hydrogen cells.
Nanoporous supercapacitors are structures produced on a nanometric scale that can store much more energy than any Li-ion battery, charge faster, and last many more cycles. Their issue, to be fair, isn’t safety but rather the difficulty and cost of production, as well as their voltage (for now) not matching existing batteries.
In the case of hydrogen cells, until now only considered as substitutes for fossil fuels in vehicles, we’d be talking about virtually perfect products. They produce almost no pollution, are easily renewable given the abundance of hydrogen on our planet, and theoretically, they could power a phone for an entire week without needing a recharge. They do, however, have one small problem: their high volatility, with the corresponding risk of explosion.
The companies behind these two technologies can afford the luxury of carrying out all the necessary safety tests and verifications because they are not giant tech corporations under constant pressure to compete with other multi-billion-dollar entities breathing down their necks. Competition fosters innovation, and necessity sharpens ingenuity, yes. But let us not lose sight of the fact that we innovate to improve our lives, not to put them at risk.
Manuel Fuertes
President of the Kiatt Group and General Manager for Spain of Oxford University Innovation
