US tech giant Apple has revealed more patents as it prepares to release its upcoming mixed reality (MR) headset.
Recent reports show Apple registered a patent under the US Patent & Trademark Office for a conceptual MR user interface (UI) to streamline bulky data items and improve user navigation with hand gestures.
The MR headsets will convert hand gestures via hand-tracking, outward facing cameras.
The tracking cameras will move virtual orbs representing work documents or applications, similarly to those on Android smartphones, in MR space, creating a dynamic and clean virtual workspace.
By interacting with the orbs, users can access data items such as video and audio content, work documents, and webpages, as well as additional information popups used to identify items.
A History of Patents
Long-term Apple pioneer Tomlinson Holman, whose work became popular after the creation of Lucasfilm’s famed THX sound system, filed the UI patent earlier this week.
Apple’s patents suggest groundbreaking technologies are on the horizon and aim to compete with Facebook’s Oculus Quest 2.
The firm appears to patent new MR technologies each week, including air conditioning units and facial biometric tracking, as it prepares to unveil a wealth of innovations on its future MR headset.
The Cupertino-based company is also advancing its augmented reality (AR) efforts with improvements to the iPhone’s WebAR and constant updates for the Spark AR engine and ecosystem.
Apple is busy creating the perfect MR marketplace debut, and with tough competition from Varjo, Facebook, and even Snapchat, this will not be an easy task.
