Recent news has revealed the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) officially granted US tech giant Apple with a patent for real-time 3D spatial audio for use in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) environments.
Apple defines the technology patent as ‘Auralization,’ which refers to Geometrical Acoustics (GA) technology that simulates the behaviours of interior sound waves and acoustics by way of high-quality spatial audio outputs.
Auralization simulates the feeling of a real-world environment to heighten immersive experiences for a range of practical applications such as science, training, and engineering.
Upcoming Extended Reality Hardware
The news follows an Apple internal meeting revealing the firm plans to release its highly-anticipated augmented reality (AR) smartglasses by 2022.
Furthermore, the October meeting showcased updates to Apple’s mixed reality (MR) product roadmap that revealed Apple hopes to release a follow-up pair of AR smart glasses by 2023.
Following initial setbacks in September, sources revealed delays in production have delayed Apple’s upcoming MR headset to the fourth quarter 2022.
Apple’s highly-anticipated MR headset may require tethering to iPhones or Mac computers to offload processing power and run system-intensive applications.
The upcoming MR headset will reportedly have a built-in system-on-a-chip (SoC) that prioritises video and data streaming over being a standalone device.
The developments comes as the Cupertino-based tech firm expects to release the upcoming headset amid the delay, indicating Apple will debut it’s flagship MR headset just a year after Microsoft debuts the consumer-grade Hololens 3.
Additionally, the US tech firm has partnered with the Blender Foundation’s Development Fund to support the massively popular open source 3D tool and assist XR developers with content creation.
History of Patents
The news comes amid Apple’s rising interest in developing AR technologies, and Apple CEO Tim Cook claimed in an interview he was “AR fan #1,” adding hardware was a “great way” to shop and learn.
Apple is securing many unique patents for its upcoming MR and AR wearables that give a brief insight into what is in store from the tech firm.
Over the past year, the USPTO has been busy granting Apple a number of patents, including a ring-shaped controller device to translate gestures as input in a virtual or augmented reality space.
Apple also secured a patent for an advanced MR interface that streamlines bulky data items and notifications, as well as ergonomical upgrades to air conditioning to reduce user discomfort.
Additional patent filings reveal that Apple’s upcoming AR smart glasses will contain built-in biometric inputs that track eye movement, mood, voice, emotion, along with facial recognition technologies.
