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by DoctorOetker 649 days ago
I wonder if they could put in tiny reaction wheel gyroscopes (to make it land in a safe orientation) or tiny linear reaction masses, or perhaps tiny replacable airbags or tiny sodium azide NaN3 charges/nozzles to blow air just before landing, to make for a gentler landing, replacable of course.

Tiny replacable airbags, on the corners. Preferably it should somehow detect the elasticity of the surface its falling to or going to hit.

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There was a prototype design that a German student, Philip Frenzel, produced in 2018 that used the accelerometers to detect freefall and push out little spring claws to protect the device. It was supposed to be in production circa 2019 I think but I can't see evidence that it made it. YouTube has videos.