I was able to read the article with some ad blockers and without a subscription, but editing to add an archive link, shared below: https://archive.is/NBivg
This seems like a really cool device from a company called Werewolf. As the article details, they make a little $8 programmable USB-C power adapter, called the VFLEX, that you can get barrel plug adapters for to power older devices that use barrel plugs.
The article discusses some caveats, such as not every USB-C power supply supporting every voltage a device may need. But you can plug the VFLEX into your power adapters (and battery banks) and create a local database of available voltages. Then when you want to power a specific device the app will guide you through which power adapters are compatible with it.
I have no affiliation with the company, but after reading about the VFLEX it seems like a neat option to power some older devices I have.
This is pretty spammy. Those types of adapters have been around forever. You can get them from adafruit and probably aliexpress and so on. https://www.adafruit.com/product/6032
Granted, I’ve never looked or even considered that something like this might exist, but I had no idea they existed until today. It looks like the one you linked is a fixed 12V, and others have linked other options that can be programmed for different voltages.
The one I linked is 12v but you can select other voltages with the pulldown. I mean you can order 6v, 9v, 12v etc. versions, not that they are programmable. There are programmable ones elsewhere, and also some that handle higher current.