Corning battles touchscreen germs with new bacteria-stopping Gorilla Glass
Mobile devices could be the next front in the war on germs thanks to a Corning innovation that infuses the company's popular Gorilla Glass with an antimicrobial agent without altering the glass's electrical or optical properties.
The new antimicrobial variant of New York-based Corning's ubiquitous cover glass is formulated using ionic silver and manufactured in what the glassmaker says is a precisely-controlled process designed to ensure the additive does not interfere with the glass's functionality. Word of Corning's antiseptic ambitions first surfaced last May.
According to Corning, Gorilla Glass's antimicrobial properties will not degrade over time, an attribute the company touts as an advantage over disinfectant wipes and films.
"Corning's Antimicrobial Gorilla Glass inhibits the growth of algae, mold, mildew, fungi, and bacteria because of its built-in antimicrobial property, which is intrinsic to the glass and effective for the lifetime of a device," said senior Corning executive James R. Steiner.
Corning continues to develop Gorilla Glass as competition from rival technologies, especially manufactured sapphire, begins to heat up. Sapphire --?found most often in wristwatches --?is the harder of the two materials and features more robust scratch resistance, while Gorilla Glass has been shown to be less prone to shattering.
Apple has made significant investments in sapphire, including a $578 million deal with GT Advanced Technologies to build and operate an Arizona facility to supply advanced sapphire material. Apple's iPhone 5s uses sapphire as a protective layer over the handset's Touch ID sensor as well as in the device's camera lens assembly, with many speculating that future iPhone models --?or, perhaps, the company's rumored iWatch --?could use sapphire in place of Gorilla Glass to protect the device's display.
The new antimicrobial variant of New York-based Corning's ubiquitous cover glass is formulated using ionic silver and manufactured in what the glassmaker says is a precisely-controlled process designed to ensure the additive does not interfere with the glass's functionality. Word of Corning's antiseptic ambitions first surfaced last May.
According to Corning, Gorilla Glass's antimicrobial properties will not degrade over time, an attribute the company touts as an advantage over disinfectant wipes and films.
"Corning's Antimicrobial Gorilla Glass inhibits the growth of algae, mold, mildew, fungi, and bacteria because of its built-in antimicrobial property, which is intrinsic to the glass and effective for the lifetime of a device," said senior Corning executive James R. Steiner.
Corning continues to develop Gorilla Glass as competition from rival technologies, especially manufactured sapphire, begins to heat up. Sapphire --?found most often in wristwatches --?is the harder of the two materials and features more robust scratch resistance, while Gorilla Glass has been shown to be less prone to shattering.
Apple has made significant investments in sapphire, including a $578 million deal with GT Advanced Technologies to build and operate an Arizona facility to supply advanced sapphire material. Apple's iPhone 5s uses sapphire as a protective layer over the handset's Touch ID sensor as well as in the device's camera lens assembly, with many speculating that future iPhone models --?or, perhaps, the company's rumored iWatch --?could use sapphire in place of Gorilla Glass to protect the device's display.
Comments
Two words: Antimicrobial resistance.
Using antiseptic products (like this new gorilla glass, or hand sanitizer) is like dropping rats into a volcano: the rats don't eventually become volcano resistant. Medication-triggered AMR is a completely different thing.
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Sounds like a security measure if an Android user steals your iPhone.
When was the last time you got sick from a germ on your touch screen. Don't want germs? Don't let anyone else touch your touch screen.
Now if they made kitchen tiles with this feature, I would be interested.
Neither Sapphire nor Gorilla will never able help android devices because the OS itself is germ!
Touchscreen are certainly cleaner than having keyboards and little crevices for things to get stuck in and everything much harder to clean Then you have these glass touch screens over the plastic touchscreens which I assume are better all around for preventing germs from colonizing.
When was the last time you got sick from a germ on your touch screen. Don't want germs? Don't let anyone else touch your touch screen.
Now if they made kitchen tiles with this feature, I would be interested.
You know, germs are airborne, hey?
My thoughts exactly. I think the same thing when I see these people scrubbing down grocery carts with those hand wipes grocery stores are putting out now. I keep thinking, my god, how did civilization ever survive all these years without that!
My thoughts exactly. I think the same thing when I see these people scrubbing down grocery carts with those hand wipes grocery stores are putting out now. I keep thinking, my god, how did civilization ever survive all these years without that!
You ever look at penicillin and think "well, lots of people died young before but I guess civilization somehow powered through"?
I don't either.
edit: to be clear I do think things can be overboard, but i think that your argument is weak on the basis of past survival. Also, I will assume that Corning may have done a modicum of research about how gross your phone screen can be.
For instance, a very quick google search brought up this: "Mobile phones harbor 18 times more bacteria than a flush handle in a typical men's restroom."
http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/15/shocker-touchscreen-cellphones-are-dirty/
Don't want germs? Don't let anyone else touch your touch screen.
You ever touch a door knob then your phone? Or do you wash your hands every time before using your phone after touching a door, a wall, your kitchen, another person, putting your hand in your pocket, pulling out a chair in a public place etc. etc. six thousands more things you do every day
Using antiseptic products (like this new gorilla glass, or hand sanitizer) is like dropping rats into a volcano: the rats don't eventually become volcano resistant. Medication-triggered AMR is a completely different thing.
Interesting that you're so sure of this, but scientists are not. You must know better, or perhaps read it on the internet?
The healthcare industry is 1/6 GDP. It's a very smart move for Corning's business. Not so much a marketing gimmick.
And as we know, Apple has recently filed a software patent for multiple end user profiles.
Usually the phone body/case is the dirtier areas.. Also this new announced glass is not going to be much use for those people who stick screen protectors over their phones
Interesting that you're so sure of this, but scientists are not. You must know better, or perhaps read it on the internet?
It doesn't take an MD to understand the difference between something that can trigger evolutionary adaptation and something that can't. Forests have been burning for millennia; wood has not become fire resistant. Like I said, medication-triggered AMR is very real, but very different from what is being discussed here.
If you don't believe me, maybe the Journal of Hospital Infection would be considered a more reliable source: "A recent paper by Cole et al...'refutes widely, yet unsupported, hypotheses that use of antibacterial products facilitates the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria'. Gilbert and McBain’s paper in 2004 concluded that the risks associated with the overuse of biocides has been overstated, and that it is now imperative that confidence is restored in products that form an essential part of domestic and hospital hygiene."