Have you ever dropped your iPhone or any other electronic gadget for that matter into the toilet? Chances are that when it dried out it probably didn’t work or likely not function the way it should. And even if you are using a protective shield or case, water is a determined beast. It will eventually find its way to penetrate down through to the guts of your device and play havoc on its electronics.
So HzO, a Utah-based company has developed a solution, a technology called WaterBlock. Instead of protecting the outside, which is typically the casing of a device, it actually coats the electronics at the molecular level and protects them from the inside, out.
In fact, it’s an invisible nanotechnology-based vapor coating. It protects electronics not only from water, or any liquid for that matter, but from humidity as well.
It’s environmentally friendly, composed of a non-toxic organic material. It’s really designed to protect from accidental damage, so you wouldn’t want to take it snorkeling, for a long distance swim or submerse it underwater for lengthy periods of time. However it seems like that’s what they are doing over at their booth at CES – so one could say it’s certainly making a splash in Sin City.
In fact HzO’s WaterBlock™ is being named as “one of the hottest gadgets for 2012.”
Good Morning America correspondents Lara Spencer and Becky Worley dropped an Apple iPhone, protected by WaterBlock™ and playing “Showdown” by the Black Eyed Peas, into a tank of water.
The iPhone continued to function perfectly underwater.
“This is going to save us!” Worley said; as she and Spencer talked about how WaterBlock™ will change the way people use their electronics.
Now it’s not a gadget per se because it’s a process and typically not something that you buy after you buy your phone; or in the case of buying a car adding rustproofing or permawax on your car. , This is something that truly needs to be done at the manufacturing level.
Hopefully people that develop gadgets will look at incorporating WaterBlock into their devices. Water will always be there and this technology can certainly save our gadgets and avoid us having grief and aggravation.
There are a number of videos shot on site at CES including one uploaded by MacWorld.
If you are at CES, they are in the South Hall, Booth #35825.
Greg Gazin is the Real Canadian Gadget Guy.
Follow me on Twitter @gadgetgreg.
Tags: ces, Gadget Guy, gadgetguy, HzO, iphone, waterproof
Is this the same stuff that Golden Shellback (http://golden-shellback.com/) came out with in 2008?
Reported here: http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/22/golden-shellback-waterproofing-defies-water-reality/
Encino Stan,
Not sure if it’s the same, doesn’t sound like it. The Golden Shellback is a polymer coating (I’m no scientist) and from their video I gathered that it’s done aftermarket rather than the manufacturing level.
If someone out there knows otherwise, please chime in!
But hey thanks for bringing it to our attention. I found out something new today! Cheers!
Just for the note Apple products are quite water resistant
I had my iPod in the cold lake with me for 2 hours, after that water was coming out of every hole and you could see water in between LCD and front panel glass, it only took couple of hours of drying on the car dashboard (on hot summer day) to work again. amazing.
IGNORANCE IS BLISS …. or in this case, marketing bliss
Hit the web and do a search on something called CONFORMAL COATING.
It is something that has been used in the electronics industry for almost as long as the electronics industry has been in existence. It is used extensively in the automotive, industrial, and other industries where products are regularly used outdoors.
Conformal coating is a simple process of spraying a waterproof non-conductive coating onto electronics. It is not really designed for direct submersion though boards coated will generally operate under water. It is more meant for condensing water in high humidity environments. The issue with all of these is that connectors cannot be coated.
SO WHY DON’T CELL PHONE MAKERS USE THIS?
Cost — why else? It costs money. Oh, and if they did, they sell fewer replacements.