Smashed mobile phone screens could become a thing of the past, thanks to innovative new technology.
A 'self-healing glass' has been developed by Japanese researchers, which they say could be used on mobile phones.
The glass in question is called "polyether-thioureas" – it is made from a low weight polymer and can heal after breaking when pressed together by hand.
Self-healing rubbers and plastics are nothing new, as they have been around for quite some time.
The difference with "polyether-thioureas", and what makes it so exciting, is that the material is the first hard substance of its kind that can be healed at room temperature, meaning that if it is used in phone technology, users could press their broken screen back together with the warmth of their hand alone.
The research was published in an article for Science magazine and led by Professor Takuzo Aida from the University of Tokyo.
In their thesis, the researchers claimed the healable glass – "mechanically robust, readily repairable polymers" – could potentially be used in phone screens, which would make for a more sustainable society.
They also claimed the material "can readily be repaired by compression at fractured surfaces".
It isn't the first time self-healing materials have been developed, or even used, for phone technology.
In 2015, LG coated the back of its G Flex 2 model with a material that claimed to heal minor scratches over time.
Nonetheless, the new polymer should be able to fix damage of a much greater degree – making everyone's drunken escapades 95% less horrendous.
