New radiation absorber technology coming to the iPhone?

[dgstorm]

We all have been hearing stories about the dangers of mobile phone radiation and quite a few medical studies were conducted on the matter in order to link prolonged phone use with tumors or other health issues. Apparently, Apple is well aware of these findings and is trying to develop a series of technologies that will prevent users from thinking twice about using their smartphones. And the company may be right to do so. So far, judging by the average scores it received from the World Health Organization regarding potentially damaging electromagnetic fields, the Cupertino group is making a smart move here.

New information about a leaked patent reveals this strategy. The document entitled “Proximity sensor arrangement having a cold mirror in a mobile device” was filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office and concerns a radiation absorber technology for the next generation iPhone.

The concept behind Apple’s filing is to add radiation absorbing characteristics to the devices in order to reduce/prevent radiation from the transmitter. By reading the filing further, we find another interesting detail: due to the added radiation absorber, the next generation iPhone might suffer a design altering.

The concept of radiation absorbers have been around for some time, with a patent filing dating back all the way from 1990, the only problem with the older designs is that they were large and could not be embedded into an iPhone. Overall the creation of such an absorber should be simple, since many materials prove to be quite efficient in keeping ions at bay, like paper or plastic. Here's a quote with some details,

Any material that is efficient at stopping ionizing radiation from passing through. Alpha particles are totally absorbed by a sheet of paper. Beta particles are absorbed by a few centimeters of plastic material or 1 cm of aluminum. Materials with a high atomic number and high density (e.g., lead, steel, and concrete) are used as absorbers of gamma rays. Neutron absorbers such as boron, hafnium, and cadmium are used in control rods for reactors.

By Radu

Source: The Next iPhone Could Have a Radiation Absorber