Another day, another new Apple patent discovered – but this could be the most useful one we've seen so far.
Apple filed a patent for a "Protective Mechanism for an Electronic Device" with the US Patent and Trademark Office in September 2011. The invention essentially shifts the insides of a device when it's falling in order to reduce chances of damage.
This means the device is less likely to land on its screen, meaning no more picking up your dropped iPhone and turning it over with painful anxiety as you anticipate the damage. At least, that's the idea.
No more cracks
So how does it work exactly? When the device is falling, the phone detects that it's in free fall using position sensors, accelerometers and even imaging sensors.
A signal is then sent and the protective mechanism kicks in, shifting the weight so that the device lands on its least delicate area and minimising the chance of any nasty breakage. Phew!
It sounds pretty damn useful, though perhaps a little to complex to be featuring in our Apple devices any time soon. Let's just hope it's before we get to the stage where we're too scared to even take our phones out of the house.
Via AppleInsider
