We're usually pretty jaded when people tell us that we "won't believe" what we're seeing in a video sent to tips -- right, right, a cellphone demon,
nice one -- but it sure seems like the Golden Shellback waterproof coating is the real deal. Developed at the Northeast Maritime Institute and hopefully headed to production sometime soon, the process involves applying the coating to your precious toys inside a vacuum, after which they're basically impervious to all liquids -- in one test, a coated device spent over 450 hours powered on and functional underwater. There are some downsides: you can't remove the coating, so any repairs will involve "abrasive methods," which sounds like quite a commitment. That said, we'll take a little abrasion in our lives if it means we never have to worry about spilling on our keyboards ever again. Video after the break.
[Via
gCaptain]
posted Jul 22nd 2008 9:18PM
Jesus Christ, this is awesome.
Now people won't have to worry about dropping their iPhone's in the toilet.
No, Jesus walked on water...this thing clearly sank to the bottom....
If it falls in the toilet it's useless to me no matter how water proof it is.
That said, this is ultra cool though... should be standard on all electronics.
I will send this company my whole PC. When I get it back, I will drop it in the swimming pool and overclock it...
"No, Jesus walked on water...this thing clearly sank to the bottom...."
He wasn't waterproof, though.
can i apply it to my penis?
@I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY
This must be the greatest idea i've heard in a long time hahaha! Now THAT is a water cooling system!
If its not electrically conductive, how does the headphone wire get juice?
they might have coated the wire too...
he meant how can said jack work with said port if the port is coated with this nonconducting gel
ah, sorry, misread, should've thought about it...
a mistake i will make a day from now :}
I'm still wondering what this does to heat dispensation out of water.
well i don't see whats so different between this and an ultra thick conformal coating (other than the fact that its post production)
@hicks
My guess is they simply don't coat the connectors, after all it's not designed for running devices underwater, but simply to stop em frying when exposed to water (and who's going to listen to their iPhone underwater anyway)
Furthermore, if the iPod Touch screen relies on electro-conductivity (as opposed to "old-style" pressure screens), does this mean the screen won't work? They showed the iPod Touch in various states, but never actually used the screen (only the actual button).
Forget the headphones, HOW DOES THE CAPACITIVE IPHONE TOUCHSCREEN WORK?
How is the headphone working at all when the headphone plug is on the TOP of the iphone/ipod touch, not the BOTTOM?!
Surprised no one else caught this yet.
What's even more odd, how can he use the ipod touch underwater? I thought the whole multitouch thing was based on electricity between yer fingers and the screen? Though I might be wrong...
@cash, you've obviously never seen an ipod touch before have you? The headphone jack and ipod connector are both at the BOTTOM!!
Suprised no one else rebuked this comment yet.
is there a way to get the videos and music running without using the screen (pardon my ignorance)? If not, then it would appear the capacitive screen works just fine...
Read the faq. He says he masks the contacts my leaving a plug in so they don't get coated.
For all wondering how the capacitive screen will work: It will work by capacitance, same as always, not by shunting current through your fingers... did you honestly think that's how it worked?!
Under full immersion, it might or might not work, but it should be fine with the surface wet, anyway.
W00t w00t!! think of the endless possibilities in marine biology!!
what could you do? Waterproof a dolphin?
-_-''
nuuu, equipment that would have been limited to the confines of a submarine.
And Taco with the comment of the century!
@Taco
You should not only get Highest Ranked for your comment on this article, you should also get, like, five more Highest Rankeds for other articles, even ones you don't comment on.
I tip my hat to your outstanding comment. You, sir, are Highest Ranked with Stiv today!
now aquaman can finally get a cellphone!
sorry, been watchin entourage reruns recently.....
MEDELLIN (sp?)
One of the best comments of the internet there.
I'll waterproof my cat and kick it out in the rain. Yeah.
Friggin wow! I wanna do my synthesizers in this stuff just so I can play shows in the rain! Amazing!
wow its patrick norton from screen savers and they are demoing the ion tech used to make it waterproof
http://www.physorg.com/news118513291.html
Wow! if this actually works out, it could change the limits of electronics....now they DON'T have to be dry to run....
Sure they have to be dry...
It's just that golden shellback, according to their claims, does a good job at keeping them that way.
I won't be impressed until they make all water non-conductive... pssh scientists.
actually, completely pure water (just H2O) acts as an insulator, not a conductor.
@Grey Acuman
Really? I didnt know that! I might look stupid but... What does make water conductive? The minerals?
The dissociated ions in the water; the H+ and OH- ions. In ultra pure water this dissociation is at a minimum, usually in the parts per billion scale of things. In our labs we use MilliQ water for this reason, as conductivity is negligible (but note, not zero).
Colorware needs to buy this company up and quick
I use to throw out keyboards once they got dirty... Then I decided just to wash them in the shower with dish soap... I save $9.99 every time. So spilling anything on keyboards is nothing to worry about.
Ad I am sure that those keyboards from China are much more diry brand new than when I am through washing them......
-So how does this coating explain how the jack and dock connectors do not let water in?
I don't want to turn this in to an Apple war, but their inset keyboards are pretty good for keeping out the grime.
The thin keys do take getting used to, though. If you can type on them alright, you might consider it as an alternative to dosing your board.
You have to sync your itouch before you seal it up. good luck adding more videos and songs.
pure BS. how the heck could it repel water on keys unless it completely seals out pretty much every microscopic hole. If it did this the keys wouldn't function since they would be stuck with this crap in them. Secondly. 95% of the exterior of cellphones and what not are waterproof or resistant. It's the damn holes and gaps that lead into battery connections and such where water gets into. In most cases those can't be filled, if they could the manufacture would have done so. Examples inclued microphone and earholes, battery cover slide areas, and key pockets as well as usb and microSD ports.
Your correct, accept, I dont think you read the print. This coats the inards and outside in a coating thats non-conductive. Meaning it WILL WORK WHEN WATER GETS IN IT..
Plz read b4 you post..
As far as removal.. I think that would apply to flat surfaces.. Meaning a component board covered with this will be impossible to repair.. Im looking at this like what some ppl do to their Bartops.. They will put stuff in/on the bartop and cover it all in resin(clear) so that the items are trap'd in what looks like glass and protected from the elements..
Your correct, accept, I dont think you read the print. This coats the inards and outside in a coating thats non-conductive. Meaning it WILL WORK WHEN WATER GETS IN IT..
Plz read b4 you post..
As far as removal.. I think that would apply to flat surfaces.. Meaning a component board covered with this will be impossible to repair.. Im looking at this like what some ppl do to their Bartops.. They will put stuff in/on the bartop and cover it all in resin(clear) so that the items are trap'd in what looks like glass and protected from the elements..
They probably used pure H2O (water) which doesn't conduct electricity. Minerals (salt) mixed with water is what conduct electricity.
I vote for BS.
i think you mean "except"?
learn 2 english
anyway, i agree, the more i think about it, the more i think this is bunk.
i mean, if you coated the circuit boards, that would probably do something, but then there are the charging terminals that have to be exposed, and then the headphone jack, computer port, etc. you can't leave those open, but you can't seal them up if you want it to work.
@Good_Bytes
Pure water does conduct electricity.
@eLMafUDd
...No, it doesn't...maybe you failed grade 9 Chemistry?
They do coat every little microscopic component. I think they use some sort of vacuum deposition. They mask the contacts so they don't get coated, and they will eventually corrode.
What exactly are you spilling?
An tasty mix of bleach, dishwasher detergent, paint thinner, wood stain, lead based paint, and Mountain Dew... ;-)
liquids?...
@who- so basically with all those ingredients you're spilling meth?
Patrick Norton FTW
yes, but Will it Swim?
that's gonna be the new Does It Play Doom
But does it blend?!?!?!!?
But can you drop it in a toilette? Yes!
"Abrasive methods"? As in, not only will my phone be waterproof, but I can have the sick pleasure of knowing that they are having an inexplicably difficult time replacing the battery? Where do I sign?
You make a compelling point.
OMG PATRICK NORTON!!
I'm finding this a little hard to believe. I remember at the Science Center (Toronto, Ontario) they had a TV that was running under "water". It turned out that the "water" was some sort of synthetic chemical or something that doesn't conduct electricity. How do I know that this guy didn't do the same thing? And plus, how would this work out properly with things such as ventilation slots in computers?
I think the idea is that liquid can get inside the device... it doesn't seal it off completely from the outside elements... rather I'm sure the "golden shellback" fumes get inside the device and cover every component, wire, relay etc and ensures that water that is inside doesn't effect anything.
Still doesn't explain how exterior ports, jacks, and battery contacts are covered... but that'd be my guess.
what if they just used mineral oil or water? whatever they submerge PC's in to liquid cool them.
Also, Vacuum?
how would a vacuum help it at all?
this just doesnt add up.
and like someone else said, what about ventilation?
how are they supposed to get 100% of the surface?
The only way this could make sense is if the PCB's of the devices are coated with an epoxy of some sort. The vacuum would prevent any bubbling from air and ensure a smooth and complete application of the product. Have you ever seen a PCB with a thin layer of epoxy or varnish applied to prevent shorts from moisture and dust? It's the same application, just taken to the extreme. As for jacks and such: a stereo jack won't be a problem because since a speaker is nothing more than a lengthy short, and a dock connector doesn't do anything unless a voltage is being detected through the sync cable so no harm done there. Sure they don't have a convenient solution for everything, but what other options are available?
God I miss the screensavers... I remember how that show actually used to teach me things...
wow i drive by this place in fairhaven all the time i live one town over. I didnt no they did shit like this , this is awesome im going by hear tomorrow to see if i can get my hands on this crap. ill take a picture of the building and send it in.
Would this apply to cameras? (I guess it would though.....)
No more waterproof cameras, just an "all in one"...nice..
this makes no sense, if your device has a charge port, there is no way you can isolate all the pins and still be able to charge it. also, I like how they said they put a VHF radio in the water, anyone who is on the water knows that just about every handheld VHF radio is submersible, no shit it worked underwater!
I wonder if the iPhone is impervious to a hammer now? We should experiment a few hundred thousand times...just to be sure of course.
Oh and yes.....OMG PATRICK NORTON!!
Mmmmm waterproofed Eee PC. Now I can shower AND work at the same time....Oh what a wonderful time to be alive.
watch, and that EEE model is going to be the EEE 1000HD-WP [waterproof]
To everyone who is freaking out about Patrick Norton...
You can see him every day on Tekzilla
http://revision3.com/tekzilla/
Ok, so maybe todays headphone jacks and usb ports are hard to cover in this stuff, but imagine the possibilities. If we have this stuff, all we need is to think of is new ways to connect headphones, computers, etc. Bluetooth headphones? Wireless USB? Wireless charging stations? It's todays technology.
Imagine the possibilities!
say goodbye to user serviceability
especially if wireless energy can ever get off the ground. all they have right now is vibration sensitive charging, which is kind of a work around to the solution
"Not available to the public just yet."
Bah.
humbug
I cant wait to coat my mp3 payer and headphones...
Sure it works but has many flaws.
In order to make it work completely is to have a touch screen only device with no buttons as the gel would prevent the contacts in the buttons to function. Your accessories have to be wireless because contacts in the ports will be covered and non functional. And the biggy is to invent some kind of wireless charger. You could try to cap the ports with rubber when not in use.
where did you hear that all the buttons on those gadgets seemed to be working fine to me.
the BB Pearl with the qwerty looked fine..
jonnyczi:
The buttons on a device wouldn't really be a problem - most physical button contacts are dome-switch varations - a contact is made below the key between a rubber contact and the PCB trace for each key. As long as the domes themselves were coated in Golden Shellback and not the contacts/traces then the key press would still register.
If this stuff is for real and there's no major drawbacks then they can expect my phone asap.
I have already lost 3 due to little ocean swims, one even went kayaking before I realized I had it.
Yeah, I always go swimming with a couple hundred dollars worth of gadgets in my swimming trunks too.
Hold on if it is non conductive, then it wont work on IPod nanos and calssic but will it work on a touch screen or do they use the same capacitance technology, isnt that why a normal stylus wont work on an iphone and why you cant wear gloves?
@Zpaintball
This technology would work with iPod/iPhones/iPod Touch's that use capacitive sensing since the sensors can pick up capacitance field changes through thin non-conductive materials (otherwise how would plastic screen protectors work?)
You can test this by placing a piece of paper (which is non-conductive btw) over your capacitive panel (such as iPhone's screen) and you will still be able to operate the device
I live 1 mile from that place, I am going to go by to see if I can check it out.
me to JR im in acushnet
What will it do to a Sony ex-1 xdcam or any DSLR?
Im wrapping my jewel in it (diamond) asap!
This sounds a LOT like Parylene. Electronics manufacturers use it as a conformal coating on circuit boards to keep them safe from moisture. Typically electrical contacts (i.e. headphone jacks) are masked and are not coated. That's probably what they've done in this case -- just not coat the metal contacts and let them rust eventually. Notice they call it "splash proof", so they may not condone actually submerging it.
That said, bravo for making it commercially available! It's incredibly durable (though it can be scratched off without too much effort), very clear, very thin (usually around 0.0005 inch). They may be using something other than Parylene, but if it's vacuum deposited, I'm sure it's something similar.
I don't know 'bout you lot but this has that distinct, Dr Rodney McKay feel to it when he couldn't break free from the personal force field.
Now if you put this on say a phone and you drop the phone on concrete will that damage the coating thus making that part damageable by water? If the coating can be scratched off then I'd be leery to get it just incase