6 ms·

I am not sure I'd like my phone to do this in my pocket while riding a roller coaster.

• ajuc 8y ago
  Use light sensor in addition to accelerometer.
  • antirez 8y ago
    Not reliable enough for a mass production solution.
  • Chilinot 8y ago
    What if you drop it at night?
    • Doxin 8y ago
      Phones 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 ago
          I 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.
          • Piskvorrr 8y ago
            The previous comment noted that "phones have [suitable sensors]". Duplicating those in the board would work, but even then - checking every 10 ms will mean a far higher battery drain (and yes, we've just complicated everything at least one order of magnitude, this point still stands).
  • rcostin2k2 8y ago
    The system seems to be a cover with no connection with the phone itself. It relies solely on the internal accelerometer so basically it can trigger the deployment if you jump or find yourself in any 0G situation even for a short period of time (it looks very sensitive anyway).
• ars 8y ago
  Why would a roller coaster trigger it? Very few of them (if any) cause you to experience 0 G, which is the trigger here. Even "drop" type coasters usually have enough friction to keep it from being 0 G. Bungee jumping might do it.
  • hrnnnnnn 8y ago
    The only one I can think of is Oblivion at Alton Towers. The main feature is a vertical drop section.
    • philjohn 8y ago
      Not perfectly vertical, and you still have friction of the wheels on the track.
      • nielsole 8y ago
        note that also phones have air friction, so it might not be discernible
        • Piskvorrr 8y ago
          Yup. My phones tend to drop along ballistic trajectories, which is rarely a straight line towards the Earth-Moon barycenter ;)
• gambiting 8y ago
  It looks like it just releases the little arms which are spring-loaded. It shouldn't even open in your pocket.
  • gitgud 8y ago
    If you fall with the device, the device thinks it's falling. From the look of the speed that it opens, yes it would probably hurt if it opened in your pocket.
    • ForHackernews 8y ago
      It depends a lot on how much force the springs exert.
    • emsy 8y ago
      People who downvoted you don't know basic mechanics.
      • jacquesm 8y ago
        They might know advanced mechanics.
        • emsy 8y ago
          The statement was: If you fall with the device, the device thinks it's falling. I'd like to know which laws of "advanced mechanics" this invalidates.
          • jacquesm 8y ago
            There were two statements, this was the other one: > From the look of the speed that it opens, yes it would probably hurt if it opened in your pocket. Which is definitely not supported by how that device has been constructed. It's not as if there are large torque servos operating those flippers, you can clearly see the mechanism is spring loaded and so the fabric will contain the device without any injury. Making the springs so strong that you could be injured is silly.
• ndh2 8y ago
  How often do you ride roller coasters?
  • e12e 8y ago
    Probably just once with this in your pocket? Same for bungie jumping, trampolines etc. In fact, I wonder if this wouldn't be a problem with any fall, say on ice etc.
    • jacquesm 8y ago
      Having your phone on your person while you are in a roller coaster is something that I can understand but it would not be near your face (are there people dumb enough to take selfies while in a roller coaster?). But bungie jumping and trampoline jumping should not be done whilst you have anything on your person (keys, phone, wallet). You could easily end up hurt even without an airbag.
      • namibj 8y ago
        The answer to "Are people dumb enough to take selfies doing X?" is "If there is no (implied) IQ test to get to do X, they will sooner or later.".. It's a sorry state, and as far as trampolines go, I'd consider it find as long as it does not impair your movement or hurt you if you land on the pocket, and it's tight enough to not fall out of the pocket if you were to walk on your hands upside down.
      • userbinator 8y ago
        are there people dumb enough to take selfies while in a roller coaster? I can't find the exact photo at the moment, but I remember one of ads for a phone I came across did contain one. Also, a quick search for "roller coaster selfie" shows exactly what you'd expect...
      • koolba 8y ago
        Most (all?) roller coaster operators require that you have no phone in your pockets before you sit down. It’s not just the risk of an idiot trying to take a selfie, the phone could simply come out of your pocket during the ride. High speed impact x gorilla glass x crowds = ugly.
• zwily 8y ago
  Could use proximity sensors to detect when it’s in a pocket (or next to a face) and not deploy.