You watch in horror as it happens in slow motion. Your brand new iPhone 6 slips between your fingers as you instinctively begin to grasp the air to catch it. Missing it by a fingertip, your iPhone makes its descent to the ground, dramatically bouncing before finally meeting its fate.
No matter how durable your case is, chances are you will drop your iPhone (a lot, if you are this writer), making it susceptible to scratches and a cracked screen. But imagine if your iPhone had catlike instincts, saving itself from serious destruction when dropped?
Apple is making a techie's dreams come true after it was revealed that it was issued a patent on Dec. 2 for a processor and sensor that would detect when your phone is falling so it could minimize damage.
"The protective mechanism is in communication with the processor and is configured to selectively alter a center of mass of the electronic device," the patent reads.
Named the "Protective Mechanism For An Electronic Device," the mechanism would allow for Apple devices to land "reflexively" like a cat. As the device free-falls, a motor will allow internal components to shift to the center to limit damage.
The sensor will be able to estimate the impact and reorient itself, making the internal changes necessary to protect itself from shattered screens and broken camera lenses, and land in way that will overall protect the phone.
According to the mechanism's patent, the sensor would be used specifically for mobile devices, but "the devices and techniques disclosed herein are equally applicable to other types of devices."
The patent was submitted by Apple in September 2011 to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, with Nicholas King and Fletcher Rothkopf cited as inventors.
It is still unknown when the mechanism will be available for Apple smartphones.
[PHOTO CREDIT: Joakim Jardenberg/Flickr]
