Categories: Future Tech

Apple Looks to Protect Dropped iPhones by Shifting Their Orientation Mid-flight

An Apple invention discovered on Thursday describes a system that could potentially save the most fragile components of an iPhone, such as the glass screen, by detecting when a device is falling and shifting the handset’s center of mass to control its landing.

 

Published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Apple’s “Protective Mechanism for an Electronic Device” patent filing looks to alleviate some or all of the damage when a device is accidentally dropped. While the invention can be applied to any electronic device with a processor, from a tablet to a laptop, it is most well-suited for those portables that users carry with them on a daily basis. For example, Apple’s iPhone is specifically mentioned in the patent language.

From the patent overview:

In one example, the protective mechanism is configured to alter the device orientation as the device is falling. This may allow a less vulnerable portion of the device to impact the surface at the end of a freefall. For example, the protective mechanism may be activated to rotate the device so that it may impact a surface on its edge, rather than on a screen portion.

Read the full report and working at Apple Insider.

Team TechPanda

Recent Posts

M&A: The art of the deal

The Tech Panda takes a look at recent mergers and acquisitions within various tech ecosystems…

18 hours ago

How India’s smaller towns are driving the next big wave of AI classroom adoption

For decades, India’s education narrative has been dominated by metro cities—Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad. These…

19 hours ago

AI Launches: Crypto, cloud, entertainment, CRM & enterprise software

The Tech Panda takes a look at recent launches in the superfast field of Artificial…

2 days ago

New tech on the block: Cleantech, cybersecurity, trading & B2B SaaS

The Tech Panda takes a look at recent tech launches. Cleantech: Science-Driven Solutions for Soil…

3 days ago

The role of observability in accelerating problem resolution

Across the IT and networking landscape of modern enterprises with dynamic infrastructures and distributed applications,…

3 days ago

Geek Appeal: New gadgets & apps on the block

The Tech Panda takes a look at recently launched gadgets & apps in the market.…

4 days ago