There are several ways one can attempt to salvage a phone that's been dropped in water: pat it down with a towel, remove the battery and put it in a cup of dry rice, avoid the temptation to use a hairdryer.
Now, according to Engadget, Daikin Industries is looking to replace those cross-your-fingers methods with a water-resistant coating applied to phones before they have a chance to get wet.
According to the demo video, the coating dries in one minute at room temperature and is between 0.1 and 1 microns thick -- for a better idea of how thick that is, the eye of a needle measures 1,230 microns.
The coating doesn't promise to make phones entirely waterproof, but rather to raise "the baseline in waterproofing to everyday standards," thereby reducing the risk of a phone malfunctioning if it does get dropped in water.
Daikin isn't the first company to attempt a water resistant coating for phones. In October, reports surfaced that Nokia had a hydrophobic coating in the works that bounces water away and could be thin enough to be layered over a phone's interior mechanisms, as well as it exterior.
Another product called Liqupel got some buzz earlier this year for its protective spray which only needs to be applied once and supposedly is thin enough not to be detected by the human eye.
And then there's HZO, a water-proof coating by Zagg, that is designed to be used in the manufacturing phase.
But Business Insider notes that Daikin's coating distinguishes itself from the competition with its low toxicity, making it more environmentally friendly than its predecessors.
The coating could be available as early as December.
Until then, have a look at some sweet accessories for dressing up, showing off, or enhancing the features of your iPhone.
