We all know that frightening moment. You drop your mobile and watch, shocked, as it drops towards the floor, fearing it will land screen-side down – with shattering results.
But now Apple plans to spare you that anxiety, with an invention that will stop your iPhone hitting the ground face-first. The technology giant was approved a patent last week on an invention that can detect when a handset is falling – and flips it to ensure the screen doesn’t hit the ground. The idea could also work with iPads and other devices. Apple’s design features on-board sensors that measure the speed that the phone is falling and predict when it will land and which side of the device will hit the floor. If sensors calculate a delicate component, such as the screen or camera, will hit the ground, they can instantly activate a motor within the phone. This moves an internal weight fast enough to affect the “rotational velocity” of the device and spin it around as it falls, so that it lands on a strong area.
The effect is similar to how a falling cat always manages to land on its feet. And that’s not all. The patent even includes a system that would force out the headphone wire to avoid damage to the connector.Victor Seidel, a lecturer in science entrepreneurship at Oxford University, said: “This does what a lot of successful innovations do: combines ideas in a way others had not considered, such as adding gyroscopic action within a smartphone. But applying this idea into current slimline designs may be a challenge. Of course, no one will really know the possible benefits and limitations until Apple gets products into the hands of users – hands that are indeed sometimes clumsy.”
Industry insiders say an iPhone featuring the new technology may appear within three years.
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