Rigid, bulky batteries could one day be replaced by soft, flexible ones, a new paper argues.

Scientists at a Swedish university have created a new form of a soft, fluid-based battery that can be shaped to meet any form, according to findings published Friday in Science Advances.

“The texture is a bit like toothpaste," co-author Aiman Rahmanudin said in a statement.

That flexible quality means the ability to 3D-print the battery in any form — opening up the way for "a new type of technology,” Rahmanudin added.

In its current form, the battery is far from ready for industrial use. It can store just under 1 volt — less than 8........

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