We're not sure whether this is a motoring story or a technology story (we've noted before that the lines are blurring) but the idea came from Nissan so we'll give them the benefit of the doubt.
We reported back in 2005 that Nissan had developed a self-healing paint finish, which allows small scratches in the paint to heal themselves. Developed in collaboration with University of Tokyo and Advanced Softmaterials, Scratch Shield was initially designed for automotive use and is already available on the Murano, 370Z and X-Trail.
Now the technology has been applied to the most scratch-prone gadget in modern life - the mobile phone, along with other automotive techniques as well.
To start with, the Nissan Scratch Shield iPhone case is made of ABS, a high-grade material widely used in the automotive industry which is more rigid and robust than other plastics. Then it's finished with a layer of polyrotaxane, so that when it gets scratched, the chemical structure reacts to change back to its original shape and fill the gap - 'healing' the mark.
The finish is also slightly gel-like, rather than the glossy surface most plastics (and paints!), which makes it more scratch-resistant than conventional paint and provides a better grip.
Nissan has moulded a test batch of iPhone cases for trials with selected journalists and customers, but if demand proves strong, it will offer the cases for sale in Europe later this year and, we hope, in gadget-crazy South African in due course.
Bob Laishley, business development director for Nissan in Europe, said: “We like to think laterally by taking the automotive innovations we've developed and shifting the boundaries to apply them to other everyday products.
“In Japan, we've already linked up with cellphone operator DoCoMo to allow them to use Scratch Shield on their Style Series cellphones, and we think this technology has real scope beyond the automotive world.
“We're passionate about innovations that get people excited, and that means not being restricted to one industry or genre.”
Another Nissan hi-tech toy, the Juke-R, will soon be tested on the streets of Dubai - and the first 100 Scratch Shield iPhone cases will be given away at a pre-event party hosted by the Ministry of Sound.