Laptop charger slims down and aims to be foldable

Israeli startup, Kado and South Korea’s Dongyang have teamed up to develop the world’s thinnest laptop charger. Kado is contributing its thin charging technology and collaborating with Dongyang to complete the development of laptop chargers, which will also become the world’s first foldable charger for laptops, says Kado.

The joint work will take place at Kado’s development centre in Israel and in Seoul, South Korea, and is expected to take 14 months.

The two companies will invest $2 million in the project, of which $1 million was obtained from KORIL-RDF, the Korea-Israel Industrial Research and Development Foundation, a joint foundation of the Israeli and South Korean governments.

Kado was founded in 2016 and used its power conversion technology in a 5mm thick wall charger for smartphones and tablets. This jointly developed laptop charger is designed to be just 8mm thick, which is as thick as a typical smartphone. The charger, expected to suit most laptop types, will be based on patent-protected technology by both companies. The product will supply 65W and includes two USB ports for simultaneously charging a second, smaller device.

Kado is also developing additional products and peripherals, such as special rolled cables, covers, and other modular units.

Daniel Assis, the CEO of Kado, said: “We intend to raise additional capital in 2018 and promote collaborations with foreign companies in order to bring the most convenient and thinnest chargers ever created to the global market.”