>The downside of zinc batteries is that they maintain high capacity for about 100 cycles, rather than the 500 or more that we expect from the lithium ion batteries in our smartphones. This is because the zinc metal forms spikes that eventually pierce the membrane between the electrodes. The strong aramid nanofiber network between the electrodes is the key to the relatively long cycle life for a zinc battery. And the inexpensive and recyclable materials make the batteries easy to replace. See, this is a self-defeating design. Now, in even shorter lifespan batteries, you can't just replace a battery pack and be done with it. Nope, gotta remove the whole bloody chassis and replace random battery fragments all over the bot. That being said, it seems like it would be useful in short-lifespan bots. I just see this being a terrible maintenance burden over a longer lifespan. >“We don’t have a single sack of fat, which would be bulky and require a lot of costly energy transfer,” Confirmed this researcher has never been to McDonalds.