Clumsy smartphone users of the world, Motorola has your back — the company filed a patent for technology that will allow screens to repair themselves sort of like Wolverine from the X-Men.
A shattered screen is definitely one of the worst things that can happen to a smartphone. Will this new technology come soon to save the people who keep ending up with this problem?
Motorola Patents Self-Healing Screen
Motorola has recently been working on helping users keep their smartphone screens crack-free, with the Moto Z2 Force and its ShatterShield technology being recent examples of the company's efforts. ShatterShield adds a plastic polymer to the device's screen to prevent shattering but at the expense of a non-premium feeling and the increased risk of scratches on the display.
Motorola is apparently looking to take the next step in the technology in a manner that would make Wolverine, Deadpool, and Spider-Man proud. A Motorola patent filed by the company discusses a self-healing screen that uses a glass polymer capable of remembering its original shape and restoring itself when it suffers from damage.
Referred to as shape memory polymer, the material will allow self-repairing screens to recover from deformities through thermal cycling, which involves rapidly changing the temperature of the material. The screen will repair itself through special hardware parts that will provide heat, which in turn will move the materials' molecules into their original shape.
The material can be used in both LCD and LED screens, even with capacitive touch sensors. The technology could also draw from the user's body heat to repair the screen.
Will Self-Repairing Screens Arrive Soon?
The possibility of self-repairing screens on smartphones is certainly one to look forward to for the clumsiest of users. However, as with any filed patent, there is no guarantee that the technology will ever be developed well enough to make its way into a Motorola device. Another patent that might never evolve into a working feature is Samsung's plans for an S Pen breathalyzer on the Galaxy Note 9.
The technology sounds great, but if it will be developed into a working feature by Motorola, it will likely only be used for rugged smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy S8 Active and devices created for children. The plastic feel of the self-healing display will also likely keep it out of premium smartphones.
Users might also be very nervous about purchasing a device that heats itself up. The last time that happened, screens didn't fix themselves — smartphones blew up and caught fire.
