Gorilla Glass will protect your TV when you go bananas
“Hardcore” game players have sometimes derided the Wii console for its user-friendly nature, but any game where you run the risk of flinging the controller through the screen deserves some serious respect. The wrist straps are fine and all, but for those who prefer not to be tied down, glass and ceramics maker Corning is now offering a solution. So-called “Gorilla Glass” will be added to select HDTVs starting next year to protect against scratches, scuffs, and flying Wii remotes. The glass has been used previously to protect smartphone screens, such as the iPhone 4′s.Gorilla Glass was developed in 2008. Corning also has produced the windows for all U.S. Space Shuttles. Not content to work only in glass, Corning has made technological strides in other areasfor example, introducing a new optic fiber called ClearCurve in 2007. This fiber used nanostructure technology to achieve small radii bending in telecommunications networks. Other projects include lasers, microreactors, and photovoltaics.The addition of the Gorilla Glass, which Corning says is two to three times stronger than normal, isn’t expected to raise television prices too much. If it can save even one poor family from the tragedy of an HDTV screen destroyed before its time, though, it will be well worth the cost. Of course, we still don’t recommend flinging your controller at the screen, but the next time Sin & Punishment 2 has you crying after it kicks your butt, at least you can manage a well-deserved throw.