Corning reveals next-generation smartphone Gorilla Glass will be antibacterial

Corning has revealed the next generation of its Gorilla Glass for smartphones and tablets will feature an anti-bacterial coating and reduce glare.

The revelation was made by Corning’s senior vice president and operations chief of staff Jeffrey Evenson during MIT’s Mobile Technology Review Summit in the US.

During the speech, Evenson says recent developments in the manufacturing of glassware can reduce the glare from sunlight, with the company promising it will make reading mobile devices in sunlight “much, much easier” in the future.

The company is also developing a cover film the company claims can kill both drug-resistant bacteria and drug-resistant viruses.

“We began working on this anti-microbial technology primarily for the healthcare industry. But then we read a study noting the number of germs on a typical smartphone exceeds the number of germs on the typical public toilet,” Evenson says.

“[On] standard cover glass, the bacteria survive reasonably well… On Corning’s antimicrobial glass, the bacteria are obliterated.”

Unfortunately for consumers, it will be around two years before the new glass technology is commercially available on devices.

During the speech, Evenson also publicly demonstrated Willow Glass, an ultra-thin form of glass that is able to bend like plastic.