Earlier this week, we were trying to figure out what kind of battery backup we’d need during a potential power outage. The conversation started simple enough – looking at various battery options and their capacity ratings. But then came the real challenge: making sense of all those technical specifications and calculating how long each battery would last when powering different household devices.

What began as a quick question turned into an opportunity to create something useful with AI assistance. Working with Claude, we developed a practical web application that helps anyone calculate battery duration for various household devices.

Let me take you through this experience of collaborative development with an AI assistant.

The process started with a basic need: converting battery specifications into real-world usage times. Our first version was straightforward – input a battery’s capacity in amp-hours and a device’s power consumption in watts, then see how long the battery would last.

Claude helped create a React component that handled these calculations, making sure to account for the 12V battery standard and converting between different units of measurement.

But we quickly realized something was missing. Most people don’t know the exact power consumption of their devices. Who knows how many watts their laptop uses? This led to our next enhancement: adding a curated list of common household devices with their typical power consumption values. We included computers, phones, and basic electronics.

The feedback was clear – we needed more. What about kitchen appliances? Heating and cooling? The list grew, but simply having a long dropdown of devices wasn’t user-friendly. That’s when we reorganized everything into categories.

The final version lets users first select a category (Kitchen Appliances, Electronics & Computing, Entertainment, Climate Control, Lighting & Security, or Personal Care), then choose from relevant devices within that category. Each device comes with its typical power consumption already filled in, though users can still enter custom values if needed.

For transparency and educational purposes, we added a section explaining the calculations.

When you input values, you don’t just get the result – you see exactly how the numbers work together. The formula breaks down how battery capacity in amp-hours converts to watt-hours, and how this relates to your device’s power consumption to determine runtime.

Et voila, in less than 10 minutes we had a working app that tells us how long a battery would last with different household appliances plugged in to it. Check it out:

What started as a simple question about battery backup turned into a practical tool, showing how AI can help transform everyday problems into useful solutions.

So next time you’re stuck on a practical problem, consider spending a few minutes with an AI assistant to build something useful. Start with a simple question, add real-world context, and watch as your idea grows into a practical solution. Our battery calculator began with a basic “how long will this last?” and became a tool that anyone can use – your next question might lead to something just as practical.