Wile E. Coyote could have struck gold in the world of smartphones. But it seems that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has beaten the enterprising cartoon character to the punch: A patent application was made public this week that showcases a variety of Bezos' ideas for protecting portable devices of all kinds against their greatest foe–user error.
Specifically, Bezos is looking to help users who drop portable devices from an advanced height to a hard surface, a move that's often less than encouraging for the longevity of one's mobile device.
And he's doing it with airbags.
That's not a joke. Alongside co-inventor Greg Hart, an Amazon vice president, Bezos has filed a patent for a portable device protection system that's made up of two key parts. Sensors would first record and analyze a measurement from a device's gyroscope, camera, or an infrared beam (to name a few possibilities). And if this information allows the device to calculate that it's in a free-fall and the potential damage exceeds a predetermined threshold, then the device's countermeasures would kick in.
Here's where it gets fun.
One of Bezos' ideas involves the aforementioned airbags–either a single airbag or multiple tiny airbags that would quickly deploy by way of a compressed gas cartridge embedded within the handheld device. These would presumably protect the phone from harm, much how a car's airbag protects a driver's noggin from splattering against the steering wheel.
But that's not the only countermeasure cooked up in Bezos' kitchen. He's also suggesting the creation of a "reorientation element," which would use a small spurt of gas to change a device's rotation mid-fall. This would be used in conjunction with an airbag system in the hopes that the mid-flight course correction would allow the phone to actually land on its protective element. But Bezos also proposes that the "propulsion element" could be used to, "cause a gentle or safe landing" itself–the harrier jet of smartphones?
And don't get too attached to the airbag concept, for Bezos has also proposed the use of springs as a counter to the effects of gravity on electronics. Here's hoping your catching skills are sharp, provided your phone or portable device has enough oomph to bounce right back toward your hands.
The patent, first submitted in February of 2010, has not yet been granted.
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