Student Invents ‘Airbag’ That Automatically Protects Your Phone When You Drop It

Dropping your precious smartphone and seeing its screen cracked can be a big headache. Although there are possible solutions to the problem, prevention, as they say, is always much better than cure.

This is exactly what we get from a groundbreaking invention that recently gained viral attention online. 25-year-old Philip Frenzel, a master’s student from Germany’s Aalen University, created a “smartphone airbag” that saves your device from damage when you drop it.

The “mobile airbag” (or “active damping” case) detects when your phone is falling.

The sensors then activate four springs that “unfold and poke out in two directions, preventing the phone from hitting the ground,” reported FOX News. You can then safely pick your device up and fold the “thin metal curls back inside the case.”

Frenzel’s unique invention was awarded by the German Society for Mechatronics.

In a statement posted online, Prof. Rolf Biesenbach, chairman of the German Society for Mechatronics, praised the “airbag” writing:

“In his thesis, Philip Frenzel impressively shows how a mechatronics engineer systematically and purposefully approaches a problem and develops a technically feasible and economically viable solution.”

Naturally, Frenzel is hoping to make the product available to the general public.

The invention is currently patent-pending and Frenzel plans to post it on crowdfunding site Kickstarter soon. He likewise shared that it took him four years before he was able to complete the project and his inspiration was his personal experiences since he’s cracked some of his phones in the past as well.

“We want to be able to finance our livelihood with it,” admitted Frenzel. “In short, we hope for a hype.”

Watch the video here to see the device in action:

The “airbag,” however, does not guarantee 100% protection since dropping your phone on an uneven surface may still lead to damage. Still, it’s way better to have one if you want to enjoy greater peace of mind.