By shrinking a voltage boosting circuit to a size that fits into a battery sleeve a big reduction in battery waste can be achieved. Alkaline batteries are thrown away with a lot of energy still in them, but the devices that they are used in still need the voltage to be 1.5 volt. Transformerless voltage changing is a recent trend, as a technology it has been known for quite some time. It uses a simple method by first collecting charge parallel, so in to reservoirs of 0.8 volt. Then by switching the circuit the two reservoirs are put in series, and the voltage becomes 1.6 volt. This new product does that but with a circuit that is very tiny.
This is good for exteniding battery life of disposable batteries (landfillers), but also for rechargeable, because they have a lower voltage of 1.2 volt (different chemistry), which if corrected makes them usefull in more devices. If the usefull life is extended as much as claimed, 8 times, then there is probably room inside recheargable batteries for a similar circuit. This will make them immediately competitive.