No more cracked iPhone screens, according to new patent.

All smartphones owners are well too familiar with what happens when skimping on a solid case. The fragility of all smartphones has plagued users from the very first inception of full-size touchscreens, and most likely will still be a problem in the future.

A recent acquisition by Apple of patent US 20130073095 A1, suggests that, at least future iPhone devices, might one day be able to protect themselves during a fall.

The concept isn’t new, looking at how advances in robotics have allowed machines like MIT’s “Big Dog” to “correct” their position in mid-flight, and balance themselves when kicked or pushed, but it is certainly novel when applied to smartphones, as devices like the iPhone have no external moving parts able to actively interact with the surrounding environment.

The mechanism described in the patent developed by Nicholas V. King (San Jose, CA), and Fletcher Rothkopf (Los Altos, CA), solves the problem by hinging on a system of gyroscopes and a motor able to shift the center of gravity of the host device in mid-air, resulting in the iPhone landing on its back, hence protecting the screen.

This new patent, while there is no word on when or how (or if) it will be implemented in future devices, might someday save users plenty, in terms of time, lost calls and money, when faced with their devices dropping accidentally.

Of course, the side of the iPhone that will potentially collide, will still take damage, depending on future materials, which means that while the device will still be in operating conditions, it won’t be any longer “good as new”, and a case might still be necessary to protect the iPhone from cosmetic damages.