Ion-Mask Can Waterproof Your Gear, kind of

There is nothing quite as priceless as the look of anguish on someone’s face as they juggle their mobile before dropping it into a toilet. How about when that cup of coffee tips over, seemingly in slow motion, onto their laptop? It’s all good fun until karma reaches around and knocks your MP3 player out of your hand into a giant puddle. UK-based P2i is a company that might just be able to put an end to the mayhem with their Ion-Mask technology. Originally developed to provide waterproofing for soldiers’ uniforms, Ion-Mask technology consists of an invisible plasma coating that can be applied to a variety of surfaces to repell water. P2i has been getting a fair amount of attention in the tech world lately as they are reportedly in talks with a few mobile phone manufacturers. We’ve seen some people jump to conclusions though; don’t start thinking that you’ll be able to take your current mobile to some shop to get “waterproofed” any time soon. All the plasma in the world isn’t going to save your phone once water starts rushing into the headphone jack, charger port, etc. Through a partnership and consultation with a company like P2i, manufacturers will be able to develop future devices that will make use of things like Ion-Mask, water-tight port covers and other waterproofing techniques. Until then, stick to that lame wrist strap if all of those little league drills from when you were a kid didn’t pay off.

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