12 ms·
Mobile Airbag Deploy When Device Is Dropped
- nerpderp83 8y agoThis is an absolutely beautiful solution. Respect.
- pravda 8y agoI don't get it. Isn't rubberized case a far better solution? Smaller, lighter, and fewer moving parts.
- earlz 8y agoA rubberized case wouldn't protect as much. ie, the phone feels more impact from a similar fall except for maybe multi-story drops where most cases don't do anything anyway. Also, this protects the screen from falling onto an uneven surface (think gravel) whereas a rubber case won't help at all, even if it includes one of those annoying plastic screen covers
- vinay427 8y agoAlso, cases without bulky screen protectors can't adequately protect curved displays, which are increasingly common nowadays, from falls on non-level surfaces.
- gregmac 8y agoIt's almost as if that's a stupid design. Unfortunately, it's the consumer that pays for that, literally, since they'll have to buy a new phone if it breaks (a win for manufacturer, so long as they buy the same one anyway).
- exabrial 8y agoI initially thought the article was going to describe someone's OnStar caused the airbags to deploy in their Malibu when they dropped their iPhone. I was moderately dismayed this was not what happened, but the device is nevertheless really cool and may have some practical applications.
- hughes 8y agoThis amazing airbag contains neither air nor bags! But I really can't think of a better, clearer word for it.
- ars 8y agoShock absorbers. Impact buffers. Phone springs. Bouncy bumpers. Splat stoppers. Impact immunity. Crash catcher.
- krzrak 8y agoSpringy thingies.
- mattkevan 8y agoSplatty bouncers
- onewhonknocks 8y agoInertial dampeners
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- vidanay 8y agoLanding struts
- starpilot 8y agoShock absorber? In any case, I'd like to see higher drop tests. Wonder if it would have helped a week ago, when I dropped my phone while rock climbing and it shattered on a slab ~150 ft below.
- social_quotient 8y ago
- Roritharr 8y agoWell we've been thrown out of the Worldcup as Group Last, but we've at least got him to come up with a solution to one of the worlds most visible customerfacing problems in consumer electronics. I'd consider this a bottomline win for Germany.
- googlemike 8y agoHow are these even remotely related?
- namibj 8y agoTime. It's how we group many information.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- bitmapbrother 8y agoI thought about a similar solution about a year ago, but mine involved embedding small spring loaded pins into the front, back and sides of phone that would pop up when the phone was dropped.
- King-Aaron 8y ago> Talking on phone while walking > Trips over > Metal spike/pin into temple
- bitmapbrother 8y agoPlease. The pins would be dull and rounded.
- pintxo 8y agoI am not sure I'd like my phone to do this in my pocket while riding a roller coaster.
- ajuc 8y agoUse light sensor in addition to accelerometer.
- antirez 8y agoNot reliable enough for a mass production solution.
- Chilinot 8y agoWhat if you drop it at night?
- Doxin 8y agoPhones have pocket detectors already. They use infrared distance sensors mostly.
- Piskvorrr 8y ago...and the complexity increases by orders of magnitude. With all the decision logic, the added latency might register as "drop...thud...oh hey, weren't we supposed to deploy something?...legs deploy"
- yathern 8y agoI think you grossly overestimate how much latency another variable to the decision logic would add. Keep in mind that this is computed onboard, not by bluetooth to the phone or anything. So it can be done by a dedicated chip checking 100 times a second if accelerator value ~= 0G and a proximity sensor detects nothing.
- 8y ago
- wyattpeak 8y agoThis looks very clever, but also like it could take an eye out if it deployed while the phone was held up to your face (or, indeed, was dropped while held over your face). I'm very fond of the concept, but I think the implementation needs a lot of work.
- Chilinot 8y agoIt could probably deploy some more "eye friendly" prongs in the future. Probably some that weren't shaped like knifes.
- JadeNB 8y ago> more "eye friendly" prongs This is a scary collection of words.
- clarkmoody 8y agoIt doesn't deploy the prongs until the device has been in free fall for a certain amount of time. So don't hold your phone high above your face :-)
- re 8y agoAt first glance it looks fairly similar to the diagram in this one: https://patents.google.com/patent/US7059182B1/en https://patents.google.com/patent/US7059182B1/en There was also this Bezos patent that made the news a few years back with actual airbags: https://patents.google.com/patent/US20110194230A1/en https://patents.google.com/patent/US20110194230A1/en I'm certainly no patent lawyer and don't have any sense of how different such a device would have to be to be non-infringing and novel enough to patent. In any case, congratulations to him for actually building a working prototype.
- mdorazio 8y agoGood find on that first patent - it's pretty much exactly the same thing unless the sensor and control mechanism are somehow quite a bit different. It wouldn't stop Chinese case manufacturers from making this, but this would make it pretty difficult to get a new patent for what's shown in the video.
- Mc_Big_G 8y agoI had the same idea years ago and this exact patent is why I never got farther than a patent search.
- mdonahoe 8y agoFun rumor: I hear the Bezos patent was actually submitted to “secretly” cover Blue Origin’s reusable lander designs. Drawing it to look like a phone is a means of camouflage. Technically a capsule can qualify as a “mobile device”
- Zarath 8y agoNice, now it needs some armor casing and it will be just like a cockroach. My pocket surveillance device will now be impossible to destroy!
- toomanybeersies 8y agoThis reminds me of the airbag for cyclists that's designed to replace your helmet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjygqMULVmw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjygqMULVmw It's a cool concept, but at €299 I'd rather just use a normal helmet.
- tobiaswk 8y agoIt's there to save your life potentially. €299 seems cheap in that regard.
- tobyhinloopen 8y agoA bunker is also used to potentially save your life, but you don't have one of those either? (I assume)
- toomanybeersies 8y agoMy $50 polystyrene lid does that too. Regardless, they're not legal in Australia, so even if I wanted to, I couldn't use one.
- alanfranzoni 8y agoWhat is not legal? Is the helmet mandatory in Australia and airbag is not a legal replacement, or are head-airbags illegal?
- toomanybeersies 8y agoYep, helmets are mandatory in Australia for all riders, and the airbag isn't certified as a helmet in Australia.
- alanfranzoni 8y agoAre there more, less, or an equal number of bikes around now, after such legislation was passed?
- al_dent 8y agoWhat problem does this solve? Prevent aluminium dents? I've dropped my unprotected phone so many times I don't even know how people manage to damage their screens.
- philip1209 8y agoIt would be really awkward if this was in your pocket and you decided to plop onto a couch
- Ajedi32 8y agoThat's trivial to fix, just don't activate it when the proximity sensor says it's still in your pocket. Though I can imagine some other false positive scenarios; like when you intentionally toss your phone onto a soft surface like your bed. The added protection is probably worth the minor inconvenience of having to reset the mechanism every time that happens though.
- martin-adams 8y agoIt's a really great concept. This would however be quite scary to have deploying against your face which would be a no-go for me. I do occasionally drop my phone and the case I have does a good job. What I worry about is dropping it on a brick or stone where the impact is centered in the middle he screen.
- swiley 8y agoI don’t have a case and have dropped (and thrown) mine. As long as you’re not throwing it directly into the ground the iPhone is honestly pretty sturdy.
- bagacrap 8y agoYes, normal cases protect very well against drops on flat surfaces but can be foiled by a misplaced rock. This video doesn't show how the "airbag" handles that scenario though.
- kazinator 8y agoThe retracted springs take up a ridiculous amount space in the phone's case; don't expect this in your device any time soon. (By which I mean: ever). A version for laptops could be fantastic. The shock absorption capacity is greater than necessary; experience shows that a simple silicone bumper is effective. The device can take a certain number of G's; it's not exactly an egg. A bumper also reduces drop incidents by providing grip. (Aluminum cases can dent through a bumper, though.) A simple through hole or other means of strap attachment allowing a phone to be put on a string takes less space. "Bungee cord for your phone!" Cameras have strap attachments; it didn't catch on for phones due to the obsession with smooth design, perhaps.
- CodeCube 8y agophone goes in and out of pockets too often for it to be attached by a bungee cord ... that'll never work either
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- kazinator 8y agoCord terminates in or near the pocket. Could be self-retracting onto a little spring-loaded winch. People had pocket watches on chains in the Victorian era.
- Ajedi32 8y agoYeah, there's obviously room to improve the design and make it less bulky. In principle though, this actually looks quite practical. Existing protective cases are bulky and detract from the aesthetics of the more high-end phones, and a bungee cord would be really inconvenient; it'd get in the way when using your phone and you'd have to detach it every time you want to step away for a bit.
- kalleboo 8y agoStrap attachment holes can still sometimes be seen on Japan-market phones[0] and phone cases. Even if the "cute charms" strap market of the 00's is mostly gone they're still handy for standard camera-style straps or even lanyards for people on the job. [0] e.g. this Fujitsu phone https://cas.nttdocomo.co.jp/flcache_data/product/catalogue/smart_phone/f01k/img_gallery_03.jpg https://cas.nttdocomo.co.jp/flcache_data/product/catalogue/s...
- aaron695 8y agoSince everyone is going pretty much OT and assuming this will be made with razor sharp knife blades that will randomly go off into eyes and the genitals like the creator never thought of it - how weird is this one - "Upon dropping or throwing your phone The Phone Drone will automatically pop out its propellers and rotate clockwise or counterclockwise based on the sensors readings." https://archive.is/4qtsU https://archive.is/4qtsU But Kickstarter shut it down, although it broke a lot of rules on top of being impossible BUT it was shut down for "is the subject of an intellectual property dispute and is currently unavailable" https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/693592078/the-phone-drone-phone-case-that-flies-before-drop/ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/693592078/the-phone-dro...
- pthreads 8y agoIt is cool and possibly quite useful. Definitely a good engineering challenge/project. Others have already pointed out some safety issues and a few others have then questioned likely are those scenarios. For me though one of the big downsides would be while traveling. This thing would never be allowed through airport security as a carry-on. It looks like mini knife like objects encased in a soft rubber casing. Yes, one can always take it off and store it in a checked-in bag. But if you forget then you will be forced to choose between dumping it or not boarding the flight. Not to mention the extra cavity search one might get as a bonus.
- wafflesraccoon 8y agoEveryday I throw my phone onto my bed when I get home, I'm not sure how I feel about this product.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]