Apple has been successfully awarded a patent which will shift the center of gravity of a phone during a fall. The latest patent titled, ‘Protective mechanism for an electronic device’ U.S. Patent No. 8,903,519, awarded to Apple will safeguard expensive devices from accidental drops by shifting their center of gravity mid-air.
Summarizing the content of the patent, as soon as the device senses a fall via its sensors, the processor will calculate the exact point of impact of the device and when it will hit the ground in real time. Thereafter the processor will enable the positioning motor which will shift the mass of the phone to a desired side in mid-air and making the fall less damaging for your device.
We are not sure about how far Apple has reached in its research to implement this technology in its upcoming devices and how it will work in the real world.
Source: Appleinsider