Technology never ceases to amaze. First there was the wheel, and then there was sliced bread. Lo and behold, then came the atom bomb. Ever since that moment we’ve felt the steady push of progress bringing our society to soaring heights never before imagined.

Much of the driving force behind that consistent scientific shove has been the ever-so efficient nation of Germany. While their BMW’s and autobahn have put their auto industry a step ahead of the rest, they still find the time to pull off the highway of life and churn out even more innovation in other electronic arenas. The latest product of Germany to have the gadget world in a tizzy is that of the printable battery.

The tiny power provider developed by the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Electronic Nano Systems (say that 3 times fast) weighs in at a scant 11.5 grams and carries a charge of up to 1.5 volts. While this lethal does of electricity won’t necessarily power your remote control vehicle to the edge of the kitchen and back, the ultra-thin combination of a zinc anode and a manganese cathode may be used for devices with a limited life expectancy. So for instance, you could say, Lindsay Lohan’s career might be operating on one of these babies, or perhaps one of those annoying birthday cards that blasts “Camptown Races” every time you open it. Either way, you can take comfort in knowing that whatever these things occupy, it would take a lot of printable 1.5 volt batteries to create a giant battery-powered robot to take over the world and rule it forever or to simply change the channel.