It might not be long until your iPhone gets a whole new layer of protection, according to PatentlyApple. Apple recently filed a patent for bringing airbag-like devices to their portable devices, and they keep water out, too.
Smartphones are, to a lot of us, the most important things we carry and what good would they be without those beautiful glass displays? Unfortunately, glass also happens to be a very fragile substance and our hands happen to be very clumsy. Breaking glass was actually behind a class-action lawsuit against Apple last year.
Apple's solution comes in the form of an 'airbag', coupled with a few other fancy gizmos. Sensors would detect that the device was falling, causing a membrane between the glass screen and the electronics innards to inflate. This would keep the shock from being dropped from resonating through the device. The patent describes several substances that could fill the membrane, like a foam or gel, so it would be able to inflate and deflate for multiple uses. The membrane would also keep water from getting into the sensitive inside of the iDevice.
This isn't the only solution Apple has thought of; another patent turns your iPhone into a turtle. This time, when it senses that it's being dropped, the screen gets pulled into a protective housing that will take the force of the blow, protecting your precious Retina Display.
Of course, who knows if anything like this will ever actually come to market, but it's an interesting solution to a common problem. Since we carry our portable toys (tools, if you prefer) with us everywhere we go, they really should be able to withstand being roughed around from time to time. As it stands, scratches and breaks are painfully common. Something as simple as thicker glass might be able to remedy the problem, but that would ruin everything, wouldn't it?
Image courtesy of PatentlyApple
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