If Apple’s latest set of patents is any indication, wearables could play a key role when it comes to powering any future Apple VR/AR headsets.
First reported by Apple obviously (opens in a new tab), Apple recently won a pair of patents related to the use of finger gestures with a virtual reality headset. The patents cover portable devices such as the apple watch or a potential VR glove for recording finger gestures in a variety of applications.
The future of Apple’s virtual reality is currently a bit of a mystery. Rumors suggest the company is working on a mixed reality headset that could be released in 2023, with apple glasses next after that. While these patents appear to be focused on a future VR/AR headset, they could, in theory, be applied to either type of device allegedly in Apple’s pipeline.
Apple VR/AR headset: Finger gestures
Finger gestures are a key part of these two Apple patents. Without going into too much detail, these patents focus on sensing a signal at one part of the body, called the sensing electrode, in response to a signal sent from the other part of the body, called the sensor electrode. coaching.
Concretely, this refers to the use of wearable devices to detect finger gestures that perform actions in VR/AR. It can be as simple as pinching two fingers, or as complex as a swipe gesture using your fingers on your other hand.
These gestures have a wide range of applications. In fact, there are so many potential applications listed in the patent information (and possibly more) that we wouldn’t be able to include them all here. However, highlights include moving an object such as a cursor or pointer or scrolling and panning, which we see potentially illustrated in the drawings submitted with the patents.
Another strong point that we can see concerns the possibility of ending a phone call. This could possibly be performed with the finger pinching motion that is illustrated in the patent application. There are several gestures related to using the phone, so it seems possible that Apple intends its VR/AR headset to work with at least some of its iPhone.
Apple VR/AR headset: two Apple Watches, VR gloves and finger guards
The one thing that’s clear from these two patents is that Apple needs two wearable devices for these finger gestures to work. This is because the VR/AR headset must be able to detect both the sensing electrode and the drive electrode, and cannot do so with a single wearable device.
One option presented in patent applications is to require the user to wear two Apple Watches, one on each wrist. This would have certain advantages for Apple, which would not need to create a new device for this functionality, and could potentially exploit the computing power of each Apple Watch rather than just using them as sensors (although this is entirely speculative) .
However, this could be a problem for consumers. A Apple watch 7 currently starts at $399. The idea of buying two watches plus the VR/AR headset seems disconnected from the realities of the average consumer. So, this might be a concept that remains in the realm of developers and enterprise users.
Other wearable devices that deviate from Apple’s patents involve the use of cuffs and rings, which are shown in the patent drawings, or a potential VR glove. A VR glove could eliminate the need for a second Apple Watch or even make it so that you don’t need a watch at all. This would make this technology (potentially) much more accessible to the average consumer, so it will be exciting to see if it ever comes to fruition.
Of course, whenever we discuss patents, we have to stress that they are not an indication of what Apple will end up using to control its AR/VR products, if those are even in the works. We should hear more about Apple’s plans in 2023, when the rumored headset will most likely appear.