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The 300 micron thick organic radical battery (ORB) uses a flexible polymer as its cathode and is thin enough to be installed in smartcards and intelligent paper.

The organic radical polymer assumes an electrolyte-permeated gel state that makes it flexible and pliant. Because the electrode reaction is extremely fast and the supporting salts migrate through gel state polymer very smoothly there is very little resistance to the charging reaction and consequently a charging time of less than 30 seconds. It is also relatively environmentally friendly as it does not contain any harmful heavy metals such as mercury, lead or cadmium.

It also gives a new meaning to the term 'flat battery'.

NEC is showing the battery at iEXPO 2005 in Tokyo this week but has not yet committed to a commercial release.