Scientists have developed a pioneering ‘smart glass’ material to replace the screens on phones

RUNNING out of battery and charging your smartphone every night could soon be a thing of the past.

Brit scientists have developed a pioneering ‘smart glass’ material to replace the screens on phones, smartwatches and tablets which uses no power.

The discovery is significant as illuminating the display on a device currently drains around 90 per cent of its battery.

Oxford University engineer Dr Peiman Hosseini, 32, told a Sunday newspaper: “You have to charge smartwatches every night.

But if you had a smartwatch or smart glass that didn’t need much power, you could recharge it just once a week.”

With the growing popularity of smartwatches, gadget firms are desperate to solve the age-old problem of limited battery life.

Apple is currently investigating using fuel cells to power its phones and laptops, and was granted a patent for a system it claimed could power devices for weeks earlier this year.

But Dr Hosseini’s company, Bodle Technologies, suggest tackling the main drain on a device’s power may be a better solution.

The smart glass uses electrical pulses to generate vibrant displays that require no power and can be viewed clearly, even in direct sunlight.

Bodle aims to have a prototype within a year.

Dr Hosseini explained the material can also be used to create smart windows, a market set to be worth around $2bn by 2017.

This would lessen the need for air conditioning in buildings as the smart glass can block infra-red waves to keep rooms cool, saving up to 20 per cent on energy bills.