Apple Glasses Patent Suggests Any Surface Could Become a Virtual Touch Interface
It's been increasingly clear that Apple has been working on an AR/VR Headset for the consumer market. Originally expected as early as 2020, the most recent rumors place its release in 2021 or 2022.

But what's been less clear is the exact feature set a pair of AR/VR Apple Glasses will provide. Rumors have been scattered over the functionality with some internal debate about the direction of the unreleased headset -- ranging from an ultra-powerful wearable product to a more limited accessory for the iPhone.
A newly revealed patent application from Apple uncovered by AppleInsider shows some intriguing research that Apple has been doing into the field as far back as 2016.
In the patent, Apple addresses the question of how someone wearing a pair of Apple Glasses would be able to interact with the mixed virtual/real environment they are looking at. When using an iPhone or iPad as an AR viewfinder, the user would typically tap on the screen to interact with objects shown on the screen. But when wearing an AR headset, the same task would be cumbersome. Previous attempts at directly interacting with an AR environment required additional hardware such as a glove or finger sensors. Meanwhile, trying to visually detect finger-to-surface contact is not accurate enough to be useful.
Apple describes how it can more elegantly accomplish this task by using infrared heat sensing to detect when a user touches a real-world object.
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.
The method could then allow Apple Glasses to visually project controls onto real-world objects and react when they are touched by the user by sensing the heat transfer when touching the object.
As with all patent applications, we can't be certain Apple will incorporate this technology into its future products. But we do believe Apple is planning on releasing an Apple AR/VR headset. Full details can be found in our Apple Glasses roundup.
Popular Stories
An updated Lock Screen interface in iOS 17 will turn the iPhone into a "smart-home display," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. When not in use and positioned in a horizontal orientation, the iPhone will show information that includes calendar appointments, weather data, notifications, and more, allowing it to serve as a home data hub.
With the iPhone attached to a MagSafe charging stand...
Apple's upcoming iOS 17 update for the iPhone will include improvements across several apps and features, including Wallet, Find My, SharePlay, and AirPlay, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple is expected to preview iOS 17 during its WWDC keynote on June 5, and the update should be released to all users in September.
In a report today, Gurman said the Wallet app in particular will...
Apple today announced the schedule for its annual developers conference WWDC, which runs from June 5 through June 9. The schedule confirms that Apple's keynote will begin on June 5 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, with the company expected to announce iOS 17, macOS 14, watchOS 10, its long-awaited AR/VR headset, a 15-inch MacBook Air, and more.
Apple's keynote will be followed by the Platforms State ...
The iOS 17 update that Apple plans to announce in June will include a dedicated journaling app, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The Wall Street Journal in April highlighted Apple's work on a Day One-style journaling app, but at the time, it was not clear if it would come in iOS 17.
According to Gurman, the app is indeed slated for inclusion in iOS 17, and it will introduce "note taking and...
Apple's "My Photo Stream" service is set to shut down on July 26, 2023, which means customers who are still using that feature will need to transition to using iCloud Photos prior to that date.
My Photo Stream is a free service that uploads the last 30 days of images (up to 1,000) to iCloud, making them accessible on the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, and PC. It predates iCloud Photos and...
Apple today added refurbished M2 Mac mini models to its online store in the United States, offering the latest 2023 version of the desktop machine at a discounted price for the first time.
Refurbished M2 Mac mini models are priced starting at $509 for the version with an 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB RAM, and 256GB SSD. That's a $90 discount off of the original $599 price tag for that...
OpenAI this week announced that its official ChatGPT app for the iPhone and the iPad is now available in more than 40 countries in addition to the United States. The app first launched in the United States last week, and OpenAI promised that it would expand to more countries in the coming weeks.
As of today, the app can be used in Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Brazil,...
Following around seven weeks of beta testing, iOS 16.5 was released to the public last week. The software update is a minor one, but includes a few new features and changes for the iPhone. To install an iOS update, open the Settings app on the iPhone, tap General → Software Update, and follow the on-screen instructions.
Below, we have recapped new features and changes in iOS 16.5,...
Top Rated Comments
If it works out, this is AWESOME!