BUMP AND FIND
Apple plans hi-tech shock absorbers for iPhones that deploy when dropped and allow mobile to be retrieved from water
APPLE have secured a patent for a system that will help stop iPhone screens from breaking on impact by deploying “bumpers”.
The development involves sensors detecting when a handset is dropped and triggering a state-of-the-art protective mechanism.
The design could save owners of dropped iPhones from having cracked handset displays they can’t see or use properly or having to shell out £136-plus in repairs.
The tech giant’s patent says the shock absorbers would be built into the phone’s corners and will pop out before impact to protect both the casing and the glass.
An accelerometer and other sensors would detect when the device is in freefall and determine whether to trigger the mechanism.
A second element of the design could prevent phones coming a cropper in the bathroom or other aquatic mishaps.
This will help about 15 to 20 per cent of mobile users have at some point dropped their handset down the toilet, according to surveys.
The patent states: “The shock absorbers may include buoyant material which permits the portable electronic device to float in the event that it is dropped or otherwise exposed to water. Devices may be dropped into a lake, ocean, or even a bathtub or sink within the home.
“By enabling the device to float, this may permit the user time to retrieve the device and prevent damage.”
This isn’t Apple’s first fall-breaking patent. Last year, they secured rights to a device that would shift the phone’s centre of gravity during a fall to protect vulnerable components on impact – in other words, to make the phone turn in the air like a falling cat.
Apple are not the only company to have considered extreme measures to protect devices from tumbles. Amazon have patented airbags that inflate when their Kindle e-reader is dropped from a height.