The quest to make a drop-proof smartphone
mostly comes down to strengthening the
display. After all, that’s the most important
part of your device, in terms of actually being
able to use it, and the part that’s most likely
to crack or shatter. But a new patent from
Apple suggests that the company may have
another strategy entirely for keeping future
iPhones protected.
Published earlier today, the patent reveals
plans for a mechanism inside your device that
could recognize when it’s falling and then
physically change how it hits the ground. Under
the hood, your iPhone would pack a redesigned
vibration motor designed to shift its angle to
do as little damage as possible. Your
smartphone would also need a built-in
ultrasonic emitter to help measure spin and
trajectory.
Of course, there’s no guarantee the ideas
described here will ever see the light of day.
The patent actually dates back to 2011, and
since then Apple has moved in a completely
different direction. The Cupertino company still
seems determined to release a sapphire-
covered smartphone, most recently tapping
Foxconn to provide the material after its initial
plans with GT Advanced Technologies fell
through .
