This student has invented an airbag for your phone

How many times have you accidentally dropped your phone, causing major damage to its screen? Considering how often this happens, you’d think we’d have a better form of protection for our phones by now.

After all, our smartphones are arguably one of the most important day-to-day pieces of technology we use. Sure, there are cases that purport to help soften the blow of a fall, but even heavy duty phone cases don’t promise protection against screen cracks.

But finally, there’s some good news for us clumsy folks! German student Philip Frenzel recently patented a genius invention that’s about to rock the world of phone protection — we hope.

After experiencing the aftermath of a brand new iPhone crashing to the ground, Frenzel set out to find a solution to dampen the often devastating consequences of a fallen phone. What he came up with was the active dampening (AD) phone case, a slim case that can actually detect when your phone is falling. Similar to an airbag, four springs unfold during a free-fall, resulting in a less impactful blow to your phone. Instead of smashing into the ground, the phone will bounce back, protecting against damage and cracks.

Frenzel, who has won an award for his invention from The German Society of Mechatronics, grew up spending hours making models, building with Lego bricks and collaborating with his father — a mechanical engineering technician — on projects that allowed him to explore his passion for “tinkering” and creation.

The next steps for Frenzel and the active dampening case? Crowdfunding! The young entrepreneur hopes to transform his start-up into an established company one day. Beginning next month, he and a fellow co-founder will launch a Kickstarter that will hopefully rally enough funds to get this creation on the market sooner rather than later.

Though this “mobile phone airbag” isn’t up for sale just yet, we’re excited to see just well this product works in real life!

How many times have you dropped your phone?