It's a momentary¹ lapse²（失效，流逝） that can cost hundreds. But the cracked screens that result from dropped iPhones could become a thing of the past thanks to an unlikely invention – an airbag for smartphones.

 

The innovative³ technology makes use of the motion-sensors⁴ that are now built into most smartphones to detect when it has entered an airborne state, so that a mini-airbag can be deployed⁵ to cushion（缓冲） its fall.

 

The idea comes from the burgeoning⁶（增长迅速的） technology department at Amazon, which won a patent for the protective system this week. As well as mobile phones, the technology could be used on electronic readers, including the online retailer’s own Kindle⁷, as well as computer tablets and cameras.

 

Amazon’s founder⁸, Jeff Bezos, filed the application for a patent himself. It reads: "Prior to impact between a surface and a device, a determination of a risk of damage to the device is made. If the risk of damage to the device exceeds a threshold, a protection system is activated⁹ to reduce or eliminate damage to the device."

 

The airbag would draw on data from a mobile phone's built-in gyroscope, camera, accelerometers and other such sensors, according to the patent. Then, if it is determined¹⁰ that the gadget¹¹ has been dropped, the technology will trigger the release of airbags and could even include air-jets to change its trajectory¹² in mid-air.

 

While there is no indication of when the protective system will be available, it is clear that there is a large market for it. In the UK alone, tens of millions of pounds are spent on iPhone repairs each year.

 

Victor Seidel, a lecturer in science entrepreneurship at Oxford¹³ University, said: "Jeff Bezos is a man known for going his own way and being successful, but I think the real question is: Has he come up with the idea because he keeps dropping his own phone?"

 

Mr Seidel said that the technology could put an end to "cumbersome¹⁴（笨重的，累赘的） cases", but expressed concerns about the practicality of its production, adding: "I am not sure the next phone I buy will be fitted with an airbag but we are often surprised by what ideas become successful."

 

Ernest Doku, a telecoms expert at uSwitch.com, said: "This sounds like a feature worthy¹⁵ of Bond, codename SOS SMS. But airbags for windbags¹⁶ sounds like a lot of hot air to me. From a logistical point of view, that handset would have to be rather bulky to hide an airbag."

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