Switch to disable laptop explosions

We sort of wonder why this wasn’t in there already …

You might soon be able to buy a laptop battery that has an “auto-off” switch to prevent those tedious flaming explosions. Technically, it doesn’t shut down the power but merely keeps the whole thing from overheating, 16,000 of them would be laid out in a thin film with a 2-inch diameter.

ETRI, otherwise known as the Telecommunications Research Institute of Korea, has come out with a Critical Temperature Switch for laptop batteries. The switch uses a metal-insulating transistor to make sure that the batteries don’t overheat.

ETRI says its CTS is still on the low end of production and is looking for a partner. Apple, Sony, Toshiba, Dell, anyone?