Waterproof mobile phones coming soon thanks to Ion-Mask?
A surprisingly high number of mobile phones are ruined when a careless owner drops it in the toilet, spills a drink on it, or forgets to remove it from clothing prior to a spin cycle. So a new technology which makes the devices waterproof could be a God-send to both consumers and the industry alike.
Originally designed for the military, the new technology is called Ion-Mask, and by being bonded to the surface of mobile phones, or mp3 players, can allow electronic devices to repel water, keeping the delicate internal circuitry safe and sound.
The method has been developed by military scientists at the Science and Technology Laboratory in Porton Down, England. P2i is a spin off company which is now hoping to make a killing of its own by selling the invaluable new technology to mobile phone manufacturers.
Ian Robins, a development director at P2i told The Telegraph:
“Mobile phones and MP3 players are too small to be fitted with seals to make them waterproof, so water inevitably can creep in. By making the surface repel water, we have been able to take devices that fail the normal… shower tests, and make them pass.”
“Obviously, how waterproof a device is depends on design, but we can ensure that water doesn’t seep through joins or small gaps. Some electronics companies want the individual components to be treated too, so they have a much greater level of protection.”
This technology, though originally designed as part of an effort to keep soldiers safe from chemical attacks, could now be more useful in allowing gadget addicts to use their phones in the shower. Whether that’s a step forwards or back is a matter up for debate.
There are obviously some real advantages though, and if this technology becomes standard, it should help lessen the waste and cost of the more than 1.2 million phones which are destroyed by water damage each year in the UK alone.
Although P2i hasn’t announced any partnerships with phone manufacturers as of yet, it is thought to be in consultation with three major phone makers, so this should become a reality, and soon.
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