Future iPhones May Soon Have the Technology to Only Fall Face Up – Just Like Cats

Apple always seems to have a knack of pulling-off something out of the ordinary, and this time around the Cupertino based giant is on a quest to make its iPhone land like a cat in the event of a fall. Sounds too good to be true, but the company has reportedly filed a patent which just got approved by the Patent and Trademark office which put simply, would make the iPhone fall on its back.

The patent is a wild attempt by Apple to keep its glass screen from cracking. As we know, cats are known for their innate ability to reposition itself while airbone in such a peculiar way, so that it lands on its feet to prevent itself from getting hurt. Apple’s new patent tries to implement the exact same principle to its bending and overpriced devices like iPhone and iPads.

So how does it work?

Using inputs via a combination of sensors like gyroscopes, accelerometers, and GPS, a device equipped with this new protective mechanism will detect when it’s in free fall and calculate parameters like speed of descent and time to impact. The device will then use an on-board motor to reposition itself, just like a cat would, in an attempt to protect fragile components like screen or the camera in the event of a fall. In addition, the device’s on-board motor can also be deployed, so it would screech a bit as it falls on the ground, just like a cat.

Reports indicate that the patent is quite exhaustive, and Apple has provided a few more methods for repositioning the device while mid air, including extending air foils and use of gas canisters for more controlled landings.

This sounds pretty insane and we wish Apple all the luck on their noble quest to scale the pinnacle of engineering innovation, rather than settling for the mundanely obvious solution of making their phones more robust. However, its worth mentioning the fact that often companies file patents just to protect their intellectual property, rather than actually building a device. So this could well be a distant possibility and chances of it becoming a reality might be slim. Either way, we would to love to see a cat-like iPhone.