A mobile phone has survived a drop from 30,607 meters (100,418 feet, 8 inches) above the ground, setting a Guinness World Records title for the highest drop of a mobile phone in a phone case over a natural landform.
The record was achieved by phone case maker RHINOSHIELD PTE. LTD. and Sent Into Space LTD., which dropped the phone from a balloon over the Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, Sweden, on June 24.
The phone, protected by RHINOSHIELD’s AirX case, was recovered undamaged after falling into an uninhabited area.
The drop was conducted from the stratosphere, at an altitude more than three times higher than commercial aircraft typically fly and more than three times the height of Mount Everest.
RHINOSHIELD Brand Experience Manager Mujou Hsiao said the project began after company founder Eric Wang challenged the team to test the limits of the AirX case, which was developed using a single recyclable material.
The company initially considered a series of conventional drop tests before deciding to attempt a stratospheric drop.
The AirX case was designed with inspiration from car airbags and air cushions used in sports footwear to absorb shocks, according to the company.
Before the attempt, the company conducted sub-zero temperature and atmospheric pressure tests to simulate conditions in the stratosphere.
Guinness World Records rules prohibited the use of a parachute and required the phone case to make direct contact with the ground.
The phone was tracked after the drop, but the recovery team took more than five hours to locate it within the vast wilderness area.
The search was carried out with assistance from Sent Into Space. The launch area was selected because it was uninhabited, reducing the risk to people on the ground.
Hsiao said the team faced unpredictable crosswinds, descent speeds and landing conditions during the attempt.
The record was presented to RHINOSHIELD and Sent Into Space by Guinness World Records adjudicator Juliet Dawson.
The companies said the achievement was intended to demonstrate that recyclable, single-material products can provide high levels of durability without compromising environmental sustainability. (Newswire)