You may be familiar with Gorilla Glass, the material used on the touchy side of smartphones and tablets. If you aren’t, then let us tell you it is a tough and scratch- (and shatter-) resistant type of glass patented by US glass maker Corning Inc., which has seen use in over 1.5 billion portable electronic devices already.
However, according to Technology Preview, other types of industries are already seeing the benefits of the technology and are looking for ways to apply it in the usual cost-effective way, because there is no other way when it comes to business.
The automotive sector has reportedly taken an interest in applying this thinner, lighter and stronger type of glass on some vehicles which are set to come in the not too distant future.
No details were given, but apparently “at least one high-end auto maker to start selling cars that use some Gorilla Glass within the next year,” according to the same source.
I’m writing this piece towards the end of the Gorilla Glass era, as the company behind the tech has already announced its new product, a plastic-like material which is as thin as paper “but has the durability and stability” of regular glass, while withstanding being bent out of shape. It’s called Willow Glass and it’s fast approaching.
Chances are that the future of mobile phones is… flexible and translucent, but what’s interesting to us gearheads is that this tech could be combined with so-called “memory metals” to create a much safer and springier automobile which could take their original shape after a crash, making for a very interesting future prospect. But that’s probably something our successors will be writing about.
We also added videos of Willow Glass below, courtesy of CNET and Gorilla Glass.
By Andrei Nedelea
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