Apple Glasses: Any Surface Could Be A Virtual Touch Interface, Claims Patent

We’ve been hearing over the last few months that Apple is quietly working on an AR/VR headset, which could be a game-changer in many ways. While the headset was set to launch later this year, considering the coronavirus situation new estimates suggest a 2021 or 2022 release. Regardless, we have some new information to share on the device’s capabilities.

Information on what the device would actually be capable of has been up for debate, but a new patent suggests an impressive new feature that Apple has been researching for several years. Directly interacting with an AR environment is a major hurdle to overcome for the blossoming technology, though Apple is apparently trying to jump the hurdle with infrared heat sensing. The patent says the following:

“The present disclosure is related to a method and device for detecting a touch between at least part of a first object and at least part of a second object, wherein the at least part of the first object has a different temperature than the at least part of the second object. The method includes providing at least one thermal image of a portion of the second object, determining in at least part of the at least one thermal image a pattern which is indicative of a particular value or range of temperature or a particular value or range of temperature change, and using the determined pattern for detecting a touch between the at least part of the first object and the at least part of the second object.”

Considering that this is only a patent, this is a feature that may ultimately never end up seeing the light of day. However, it still shows that the company has been doing some serious research on moving the AR industry forward with their upcoming device. We’ll bring you more information as it becomes available.