Apple has received a new patent for ‘self-healing elastomer’ which hints towards a waterproof device, with several sources speculating the material to be used for next generation iPhones.
Self-healing elastomer is a kind of rubber that will be used inside the phone’s ports, like the headphone port or lightning port.
It will allow the user to insert the headphones or lighting port through a rubber seal that would open up, and once the port is taken out, the elastomer will regain its original shape and re-seal the opening automatically.
The technology is expected to protect the phone from foreign materials including dust and water entering into the surface.
Apple initially filed for the patent in 2014 but it received the green signal from the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) last week.
An abstract of the patent says: "The self-healing elastomer may obscure the electronic connectors from the user as well as provide environmental protection for the connector and the electronic device.
"Electronic probes may temporarily penetrate the self-healing elastomer to mate with the electronic connector. After removal of the probes the self-healing elastomer may elastically reform and self-heal."
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Apple already uses water resistant technology in its present generation iPhones, which features a waterproof logic board.
The technology does not make iPhone 6 waterproof, but it helps the phone become water resistant up to some extent.
The USPTO has also approved another patent that will allow the device to use sound to cast out liquids from speakers.
