Energy Firm Expanding Battery Applications.

• Position: News Briefs

* Ultralife Corp. is looking to expand its batteries for broader use in military operations, a company engineer said.

The British energy firm's lithium thionyl chloride battery comes in three different variations and is used mostly for sensor applications in remote areas, said Jonathan DiGiacomandrea, company applications engineering manager. Soldiers often need to bury the battery and leave it for long periods of time, he explained.

"They're used in clandestine operations... [where] they need to plant some sort of sensor and then they'll never have access to the location again--maybe not for a couple of years at least," he said.

However, the company is turning its attention to expanding the operational use of the battery. The design includes a 12-volt universal output, which is standard across both the military and the commercial sphere, he noted.

"It can be used... with radio equipment, both transmitters, receivers, listening devices," DiGiacomandrea said. "A lot of it [has] been used for border security. ... Some of it has even been used for remote-activated lighting or remote-activated infrared devices and a whole host of other devices they need to use." Users can switch out a connector that is attached...