Research in Motion (RIM) has been releasing a series of videos via YouTube in which it showcases the kinds of conditions that various BlackBerry handsets are designed to endure.

Every major mobile manufacturer will put its devices through stress tests during development to see whether they will survive the common disasters which might befall them in everyday usage, but few actually expose their testing methods.

In one video, a BlackBerry Curve 9360 is dropped from a height into a tray of liquid. An engineer subsequently shows that it functions entirely normally after it has been removed, with the Wi-Fi, NFC, speakers and interface all continuing to work as you would expect.

People regularly drop their mobiles in liquid by accident, whether it is popping it in that glass of water you keep next to the bed or losing it down the loo when you are feeling a bit jaded after a trip to the pub. Knowing that you can get the handset working again, even after this, will give you added peace of mind.

Of course not all of the videos show BlackBerry handsets surviving. One, involving a BlackBerry Torch being slowly bent under the pressure of a metal bar, suggests that there is a point of no return for every mobile phone.

There have been a number of deliberately durable smartphones launched over the years, such as the Motorola Defy, but in general, modern mobiles are a little more fragile than in previous years.

This is because the hardware has become far more complicated and the components are necessarily made out of materials which will not be particularly resilient due to their nature.

Things like Gorilla Glass are helping to protect the touchscreen displays of contemporary smartphones, but almost everyone will know of an iPhone 4 or 4S owner who has dropped their mobile and ended up with a smashed glass panel on the front or rear.

However, it is clear that firms like RIM are intent on making the next generation of smartphones a little more durable.

A few weeks ago another development in the world of mobile resilience technology was announced, as a new nanoparticle spray developed to coat the internal components of smartphones with a waterproof layer has been invented. This will of course make it far easier to take your mobile out in the rain or subject it to accidental contact with large quantities of liquid.