A superpowered Formula 1 car, a buzzing drone, a soldier’s pack, and a wearable smart device have this in common: They all need batteries. Ideally, those batteries could fit into oddly shaped nooks, curves, and voids, something that today’s cylindrical or rectangular cells struggle to do. Engineer Gabe Elias, who helped design the Mercedes-AMG Petronas racers that won seven consecutive F1 championships, cofounded a startup to 3D print batteries onto surfaces, flowing into those unused spaces in all kinds of devices and vehicles.