Aside from the hints provided by their employees, one of the biggest sources of reliable information regarding what tech giant Apple is up to could be the national patent office. Although there are some patents that are considered ridiculous to merit an approval, Apple has proven before that they are serious in pursuing unorthodox ideas.
No wonder not a few raised their eyebrows and scratched their heads when Apple was granted a patent on 20 January 2015 for an eye-tracking technology that could end up being used in future iOS devices, Mac computers, or even the Apple TV.
The patent, first discovered by Apple Insider, details a graphical user interface that actively tracks where the user is looking which allows them to control an onscreen input or mouse cursor with just their gaze.
The patent's main focus, however, is on preventing a common eye-tracking issue called the Troxler Effect, a phenomenon which can cause onscreen objects that are stationary to look like they're disappearing.
To combat this potential issue, Apple's newest patent details multiple ways to detect eye movements, blinking, and physical distance from a display. All of these methods can work together to help the graphical user interface respond in a way that prevent important details onscreen from fading away.
In the patent, Apple mentions the possibility of the eye-tracking technology being used in both iOS devices and Mac computers, but it's also not hard to imagine this cropping up in future Apple TVs. Then again, Apple and other tech companies own plenty of patents describing technologies that never end up in consumer devices, so don't expect an eye-tracking iPhone just yet.
No wonder not a few raised their eyebrows and scratched their heads when Apple was granted a patent on 20 January 2015 for an eye-tracking technology that could end up being used in future iOS devices, Mac computers, or even the Apple TV.
The patent, first discovered by Apple Insider, details a graphical user interface that actively tracks where the user is looking which allows them to control an onscreen input or mouse cursor with just their gaze.
The patent's main focus, however, is on preventing a common eye-tracking issue called the Troxler Effect, a phenomenon which can cause onscreen objects that are stationary to look like they're disappearing.
To combat this potential issue, Apple's newest patent details multiple ways to detect eye movements, blinking, and physical distance from a display. All of these methods can work together to help the graphical user interface respond in a way that prevent important details onscreen from fading away.
In the patent, Apple mentions the possibility of the eye-tracking technology being used in both iOS devices and Mac computers, but it's also not hard to imagine this cropping up in future Apple TVs. Then again, Apple and other tech companies own plenty of patents describing technologies that never end up in consumer devices, so don't expect an eye-tracking iPhone just yet.
Posts
0 comments
Post a Comment