Motorola has come up with a plan to manufacture a smartphone made of shape memory polymers (SMPs). This futuristic material would allow the mobile to repair itself independently using heat, especially in the event of scratches or other deformation.
At the moment, the slightest scratch on a smartphone is very difficult to repair. This is why it is essential to equip your phone with a protective hull. However, thanks to a new invention of Motorola, which prepares its magnificent Moto X4, these material inconveniences could soon be part of the past.
A patent filed by the manufacturer describes an autonomous repair system based on the shape memory polymer. According to the manufacturer’s description, the smartphone would be able to detect any deformation on its shell or its screen, such as a scratch for example. The user will then receive a notification and can indicate the surface to be repaired.
For example, it will be a matter of encircling the scratch so that the smartphone knows which zone is affected by a deformation. The self-repairing process will be initiated. The device will emit heat from inside, and this heat will activate the shape memory properties of the material to directly repair the deformation and return the smartphone to its original shape.
Obviously, Motorola does not promise that this technology will repair any deformation. If the smartphone is actually cracked or fractured, it will not be possible to return it to its original shape.
Similarly, for the time being, this is only a patent. If this technology is actually born, it will probably take several years before such a self-repairing smartphone is available commercially.
Nevertheless, it is interesting to note that the document in question seems to present a 2011 Motorola Atrix, which we remember as one of the worst flops in the history of smartphones. The illustrations in the patent have the same design.
It is therefore possible that Motorola has been secretly preparing this technology for over five years, which would mean that it could be at an advanced stage of development. In any case, such a feature would be very interesting for the future of smartphones.
