In a patent registered with the USPTO * spotted by our American colleagues at AppleInsider, Apple describes how the sensors installed on its devices could improve in the future. Starting with those for the iPhone. Indeed, in the document is detailed a solution where the mobile is capable of recognize the look of the user. The objective would be, for example, to know if the latter has been placed on the screen or not in order to guess whether a notification has been read or not.
Apple brand engineers also explain how what looks like a HomePod could play music depending on who is entering the room. To do this, we imagine that it is the same technology that powers Face ID and the True Depth sensor that would be the most appropriate. Nevertheless, the file remains rather elusive and nothing proves anyway that a concrete project results from it for the moment, despite other similar information.
© USPTO / Apple
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As always, Apple did not react to this news. For the company, filing a patent is above all synonymous with intellectual property. Indeed, it is then a question of protecting his ideas in the face of competition rather than really embarking on an experiment. But sometimes even this type of scheme can actually lead to commercialization.
In addition, we know that some brands offering Android smartphones have already imagined or even sold alternatives similar to those discussed here. Like Samsung, from the launch of its Galaxy S4 in 2013. The laptop could then scroll a web page with a simple movement of the eyes. A feature certainly anecdotal and rather gadget, but which has proven itself.
Other possible applications
Also in the patent of the day, Apple also shows how to make a projector or a screen smarter. It is then a question of continuing to use the distance measurements, in order to automatically modify the focus according to the position of the subject. Or, the fourth generation iPad Pro is precisely equipped with a LiDAR radar. This time-of-flight radar, which can also be found on iPhone 12 Pro Max and its little brother, has all the necessary technology for this job.
* the USPTO (literally United States Patent and Trademark Office) is the equivalent of the INPI across the Atlantic
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