There is nothing more annoying than accidentally sitting on your smartphone or that it slips and falls to the hard ground, the screen shutters, and having to do repairs that nearly costs you another brand new phone.
Many have phone screens that are currently riddled with scratches. This is for two reasons. The first is that they have unpopular phones that don’t have readily available screen protectors. The second is that they were forgetful. They forgot that they had a phone without a screen protector, and put it in the same pocket with their keys – a ball of sharp, pointy bits.
Therefore, this comes as good news that Motorola could put an end to (some) expensive repairs. Hopefully other smartphone manufacturers could follow suit.
- Motorola was granted a patent on Wednesday for a phone display that heals if it is cracked.
- It is based on a material that when heated, is able to “reverse some or all of the deformation” that has occurred.
Motorola doesn’t just want to make phone screens that are shatter-resistant… if it has its way, what cracks that do show up could be fixed on the spot. It recently applied for a patent on a phone screen whose shape memory polymer heals damage when you subject it to rapid changes in heat. The phone itself could produce the heat (Motorola even envisions an app that tells the phone where to start repairs), but your body heat, a dock or a plug-in panel might also work.
This seems like a dream for anyone who’s ever smashed a phone screen. However, there are bound to be a few caveats. First, of course, is that this is a patent application — there’s no guarantee that Motorola or parent company Lenovo has something in the cards. And just like Motorola’s anti-shatter screens, this may be an exercise in compromise. A polymer screen probably won’t feel as nice to the touch as glass, and the technology never completely restores the screen’s strength. If you’re a butterfingers type, you might still have to take your phone in after enough abuse. This beats having to pay through the nose for a single fix, though, and it could easily make sense for rugged devices where drops are virtually expected.
It’s not the first sort of consumer technology to fix itself. In 2005, Nissan developed a self-healing paint and has been offering it on selected cars and SUV’s since then. Other companies have taken the technology forward, developing cars that are capable of self-repairing scratches as long as the metal doesn’t bend
2 Comments
Motorola patents a self-repairing mobile phone screen? Wow! The Motorola smartphone the first self-repairing phone screen. This is awesome..
I laughed, reading this piece. What?! ? ? ? This is unheard of. Is there going to be limits to what human mind can phatom and invent? This is absolutely out of this world! I just can’t wait to experience this. It’s going to look like a miracle. Self-healing screens? Mehn! I’m speechless ?.