Smartphones are dreamily thin, composed mostly of metal and glass materials which aren’t always well-suited to the rough and tumble of everyday life.
The industry is always on the lookout for new materials. We’ve seen a progression from plastic to aluminum and aerospace-aluminum alloys, to stainless steel, ceramics, and even titanium reinforcements.
If you were a fan of Motorola’s Moto Maker wood panels, but wished they were stronger and more durable then you’re in luck — enter Superwood.
Superwood is an advanced material of densified wood, constructed via a relatively simple and inexpensive new process born out of research from the University of Maryland. The process can turn just about any type of wood into a material scientists claim is stronger than steel and even titanium alloys.
The outcome is wood that’s up to 12 times stronger than natural wood and 10 times tougher, which has materials scientists looking at use cases in buildings and vehicles. There’s even a claim the new type of strengthened wood could be used to make bullet-resistant armor.
For smartphone designers, that’s intriguing. For manufacturers, it could be a new and dramatically cheaper material for the smartphones of the future. Superwood could become the primary rigid substance in a smartphone, replacing metals and ceramics. Protective glass would then only be needed on the front.
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