Imagine a day when your smartphone’s display could repair itself. It appears like that day isn’t far as Motorola has been granted a patent, whose description explains how a device could identify cracks on its touchscreen and subsequently apply heat to the area to repair the damage. This process is termed as ‘Shape Memory Polymer,’ wherein a material that deforms could easily be recovered through thermal cycling, which essentially involves changing of the material’s temperature.
“An electronic device includes a fascia manufactured from a shape memory polymer. One or more thermal elements can be disposed adjacent to the fascia or integrated into the fascia,” the patent’s description reads. “One or more processors can be operable with one or more thermal elements to detect deformation along at least a portion of the fascia and cause one or more thermal elements to selectively apply heat to the shape memory polymer along at least a portion of the fascia to reverse some of the deformation.”
This material could be used over an LCD or LED display with a capacitive touch sensor layered in, reported The Verge. It could also optimise user’s body heat, a dock or a plug-in panel for the same purpose. While this definitely seems like a dream come true for those who are more prone to breaking their smartphones’ display, however; there are a few complications with regards to same. This is merely a patent application -- an idea, perhaps that Motorola is experimenting with but has not completely explored and officially made an announcement for. Moreover, a polymer screen probably won’t feel as like a rich alternative to glass, and the technology never completely restores the screen’s strength.
