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Next-Gen Gorilla Glass May Be Germ Resistant

By - Source: PhoneArena | B 14 comments

During the MIT Mobile Technology Summit, Dr. Jeffrey Evenson, senior vice president and operations chief of staff for Corning, talked about the anti-reflection and the anti-microbial abilities of the next-generation Gorilla Glass. He also insisted that glass is an ideal enclosure for advanced display technologies such as OLEDs.

Why? Because OLEDs decay rapidly if exposed to water or oxygen, and it takes 30 billion years for a molecule of oxygen to pass through a piece of 1-millimeter-thick sheet of glass. That same trip would take a mere two weeks through the same thickness of plastic, he said.

That scenario leads to Corning's anti-reflection technology. Evenson showed a slide of a hand holding a sheet of normal glass used to cover a tablet. In the center of the sheet was a large hole about the size of an orange, only it wasn't an actual hole; it was a portion treated with Corning's anti-reflection tech. Unlike the rest of the sheet, this portion didn't reflect large amounts of the blue sky and flowing clouds in the sky above.

According to Corning, device screen visibility in the sunlight is heavily reduced even when at their brightest setting because the front glass is unable to reduce mirror reflections -- the best panels barely go below 5 percent reflectivity. Thus, the company is looking to bring that down to a percentage larger than thin air. The example circle still reflected the sky above, but it was barely noticeable, allowing the green grass underneath to be viewed almost perfectly compared to the rest of the tablet-sized sheet.

In addition to reducing reflections, Corning is also working to incorporate antimicrobial tech into Gorilla Glass that will supposedly kill germs and viruses that can stick on a phone or tablet screen. This will be a coating, and a provided example showed that after thirty minutes, a number of invisible bugs lounging around on the glass were eliminated. After two hours, all bacteria and viruses were wiped clean without user intervention.

That in itself is good news for those who share devices in a home or office. Unfortunately, it may be a few years before consumers see these two new technologies in sheets of glass covering their favorite smartphone, tablet or some other computational or entertainment device that requires touch.

"Corning understands how formulation and fabrication determine the atomic state and structure of a glass. These, in turn, control the mechanical, thermal, and optical properties of the glass," the company said. "Corning’s knowledge of glass properties, and how glass operates in combination with application requirements, allows the company to solve tough customer problems."

The company also provided its 90 second look into a future full of glass, touch and plenty of white called "A Day Made of Glass."

A Day Made of Glass Montage

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  • -1 Hide
    Art Faucett , July 22, 2013 6:21 PM
    And Kardashians friends rejoice.
  • 0 Hide
    Estix , July 22, 2013 6:38 PM
    Breed superbugs right on your smartphone!
  • 1 Hide
    aoneone , July 22, 2013 6:43 PM
    Will it kill cancer cells and/or AIDS virus? Thx in advance!! ^_^
  • Display all 14 comments.
  • 0 Hide
    wavetrex , July 22, 2013 7:16 PM
    HIV dies outside the body on it's own...

    However the video is cool. We've been seeing these kind of things in SciFi movies for quite a while, I wonder when they will actually become reality?
  • 3 Hide
    Darkk , July 22, 2013 7:20 PM
    I am not sure why we need anti-bacterial glass? Isn't good ole windex wipe good enough?

    I am excited about the anti-glare glass for the tablets and cell phones. Very annoying in bright light situations.
  • 0 Hide
    darkavenger123 , July 22, 2013 7:35 PM
    What i really want is oil, smudges and fingerprint resistant. Call me when you make one.
  • 2 Hide
    antilycus , July 22, 2013 9:24 PM
    I've dropped every smart phone i've had, without a case, multiple times. I buy a nice one with Gorilla glass and this happens the first time it is dropped.
    http://forums.androidcentral.com/attachments/google-nexus-4/45515d1352503599t-buy-n4-fix-my-cracked-screen-sg3-broken-one-x.jpg

    Replacement cost on the phone, 750 dollars. Gorilla Glass = broken phone. There is no point in having a nice looking phone if you have to have a gaudy arse case on it. Just get something that has a plastic cover, not a glass one. Gorilla glass is lame.
  • 1 Hide
    eklipz330 , July 22, 2013 9:25 PM
    anti-microbial is actually a good idea if you think about it a second... your touchscreen has to be -the- dirtiest thing you carry around with you. and no, not everyone wants to carry around clorox wipes with you everywhere.
  • 0 Hide
    vaughn2k , July 23, 2013 1:00 AM
    Quote:
    I am not sure why we need anti-bacterial glass? Isn't good ole windex wipe good enough?

    ....


    I think it was designed to prevent OLED or any "advance display technology" from deterioration due to oxygen/hydrogen + sunlight or simply a moisture resistant enclosure. These 2 elements does not only invite moisture, but will also cause some germs (and bacteria) to "breath life" which also accelerates deterioration.
  • 2 Hide
    martel80 , July 23, 2013 3:22 AM
    How about making the glass shatter-proof instead of this useless anti-bacterial? Too great a challenge? Or is it the fear of their sales going down once people stop shattering their displays?
  • 0 Hide
    ddpruitt , July 23, 2013 5:59 AM
    Quote:
    I've dropped every smart phone i've had, without a case, multiple times. I buy a nice one with Gorilla glass and this happens the first time it is dropped.
    http://forums.androidcentral.com/attachments/google-nexus-4/45515d1352503599t-buy-n4-fix-my-cracked-screen-sg3-broken-one-x.jpg

    Replacement cost on the phone, 750 dollars. Gorilla Glass = broken phone. There is no point in having a nice looking phone if you have to have a gaudy arse case on it. Just get something that has a plastic cover, not a glass one. Gorilla glass is lame.


    Actually these phones tend to be fairly rugged. There are phones that break on the first drop but this is due to defective glass rather than a defective product. I know a whole group of people that have these buggers and they're rather resilient. I've dropped, thrown, and generally abused mine beyond belief and you can hardly tell. Compared that with an early Razr with the plastic screen where everything was scratched after a week.

    Now the anti-glare properties are pretty useful, but antimicrobial? There's a reason I have an immune system.
  • 0 Hide
    digiex , July 23, 2013 7:50 AM
    ...so even if I won't wash my hands after shitting, my phone will be germ free.
  • 0 Hide
    stingstang , July 23, 2013 8:25 AM
    I hear the next next gorilla glass encompasses the phone in a forcefield, and only your hands can go through it.
  • 0 Hide
    JPNpower , July 23, 2013 12:40 PM
    Next gen Gorilla Glass will come with its own tame gorilla which will catch your phone anytime you drop it.