Although it is hard to believe, Apple company engineers they sent for patenting a system that allows iPhone- to detect if the user has dropped them and they are about to hit the asphalt/any surface, and to change the center of gravity to protect fragile components. More precisely, the iPhones could protect their screen, or possibly the case through this solution thought by Apple, changing the center of gravity and altering the way the device hits that hard surface.
In one example, the protective mechanism is configured to alter the device orientation as the device is falling. This may allow a less vulnerable portion of the device to impact the surface at the end of a freefall. For example, the protective mechanism may be activated to rotate the device so that it may impact a surface on its edge, rather than on a screen portion.
The system would use sensors such as accelerometers or the gyroscope to determine if the terminal is falling, another sensor could determine its distance from the hard surface, the processor calculating the position, the speed of movement but also the way in which the center of gravity must be changed. Apple has thought of a series of mechanisms through which the center of gravity can be changed, among them the use of mobile components in terminals, the retraction of buttons, the use of counterweights, etc., but it is unlikely that we will see something like this in a very soon.
The idea from Apple can also be applied to tablets or laptops, but don't think that you will see it too soon.
