95
Why a Helium Leak Disabled Every iPhone in a Medical Facility (www.vice.com)
submitted 2 weeks ago by Gaywallet@beehaw.org to c/technology@beehaw.org
14 comments fedilink hide all child comments
top 14 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] veeesix@lemmy.ca 43 points 2 weeks ago

[…] so why were only Apple phones affected?

The answer, it seems, is because Apple recently defected from traditional quartz-based clocks in its phones in favor of clocks that are also made of MEMS silicon. Given that clocks are the most critical device in any computer and are necessary to make the CPU function, their disruption with helium atoms is enough to crash the device. 

In this case, the leaking helium from the MRI machine infiltrated the iPhones like a “tiny grain of sand” and caused the MEMS clocks to go haywire.

[-] otter@lemmy.ca 12 points 2 weeks ago

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microelectromechanical_system_oscillator

Interesting

MEMS oscillators incorporate MEMS resonators, which are microelectromechanical structures that define stable frequencies. MEMS clock generators are MEMS timing devices with multiple outputs for systems that need more than a single reference frequency. MEMS oscillators are a valid alternative to older, more established quartz crystal oscillators, offering better resilience against vibration and mechanical shock, and reliability with respect to temperature variation.

So the helium causes physical interference by leaking into the housing?

[-] JohnEdwa@sopuli.xyz 17 points 2 weeks ago

Yup. Helium is such a tiny thing it can diffuse through almost anything, and in MEMS oscillators which are supposed to be at a rock solid 32kHz, causes variance in the frequency eventually just "gumming" it up entirely and causing it to stop working.

If you want to know how and why, Applied Science did a video on it. Five years ago. Because that's when this leak happened.

[-] IrritableOcelot@beehaw.org 4 points 2 weeks ago

Yup. Most of the mems devices will essentially shut down the device if they go out of tolerance. This is a pretty common-knowledge fact among folks who work with large magnets, or with helium or hydrogen gas.

Funnily enough, it also happens with equipment microcontrollers which are unlikely to have a MEMS unit in them -- for instance, any benchtop centrifuge made after the mid-90s will shut down, and I'm pretty sure those are still on quartz clocks. It also effects things like on-chip thermometers.

[-] cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.de 30 points 2 weeks ago

Helium doesn't just kill apple devices, It kills anything with a MEMS oscillator. Helium atoms are so small that it's impossible to make a seal that completely blocks them.

[-] LordGimp@lemm.ee 5 points 2 weeks ago

Well that's not true. It's just a real bitch. As a welder, helium leak check is about the toughest damn QC to pass. Most welding QC has some reasonable margin for error during inspection, but the damn helium doesn't care. You can have a beautiful weld with a tiny imperfection at the start or end and it'll piss helium just as badly as an entirely scuffed bead.

[-] 01189998819991197253@infosec.pub 13 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

...Yet both Android and Apple phones use MEMS silicon for their devices, so why were only Apple phones affected? The answer, it seems, is because Apple recently defected from traditional quartz-based clocks in its phones in favor of clocks that are also made of MEMS silicon.

So, they ask the question of why iPhones are the only ones affected if androids also went to MEMS, then answer it by saying that apple went to MEMS. Are they saying that the clocks in Androids still use quartz, but iPhones use MEMS clocks, even though they both use general MEMS silicon?

Edit, autocorrect

[-] nickwitha_k@lemmy.sdf.org 17 points 2 weeks ago

Are they saying that the clocks in Androids still use quartz, but iPhones use MEMS clocks, even though they both use general MEMS silicon?

Correct. MEMS technology is used in the accelerometers and gyros in the inertial measurement units (IMUs) that are in pretty much every smartphone. Apple decided to switch to using MEMS clocks, probably because it means that they can reduce part count slightly as it would mean that they can incorporate them on the same chip as the CPU or the like.

[-] 01189998819991197253@infosec.pub 7 points 2 weeks ago

Gotcha. Ok. This article makes a whole lot more sense now. Thank you!!

[-] nickwitha_k@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 2 weeks ago

You're very welcome!

[-] nickiam2@aussie.zone 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Wasn't this exact scenario posted to r/talesfromtechsupport a few years ago? It sounds very familiar

[-] floofloof@lemmy.ca 6 points 2 weeks ago

This article is from 2018.

[-] Midnitte@beehaw.org 9 points 2 weeks ago

By Daniel Oberhaus October 30, 2018, 5:20pm

🤨

Yet both Android and Apple phones use MEMS silicon for their devices, so why were only Apple phones affected?

Glad I've got an Android since I could potentially work with liquid Hydrogen...

[-] noodlejetski@lemm.ee 8 points 2 weeks ago

the fate worse than quenching.

and now I'm imagining Siri speaking in a very high-pitched voice.

this post was submitted on 27 Sep 2024
95 points (100.0% liked)

Technology

37662 readers
539 users here now

A nice place to discuss rumors, happenings, innovations, and challenges in the technology sphere. We also welcome discussions on the intersections of technology and society. If it’s technological news or discussion of technology, it probably belongs here.

Remember the overriding ethos on Beehaw: Be(e) Nice. Each user you encounter here is a person, and should be treated with kindness (even if they’re wrong, or use a Linux distro you don’t like). Personal attacks will not be tolerated.

Subcommunities on Beehaw:

This community's icon was made by Aaron Schneider, under the CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
alyaza@beehaw.org
TheRtRevKaiser@beehaw.org
gyrfalcon@beehaw.org
rs5th@beehaw.org
coldredlight@beehaw.org
Los@beehaw.org
SemioticStandard@beehaw.org
TheRtRevKaiser@kbin.social
remington@beehaw.org