Apple Exploring The Idea Of A Ring That Could Detect Gestures

Right now, virtual reality headsets usually come with pretty big controllers that help the user interact with the virtual world. However, due to their size, it’s not exactly convenient or practical to be used outside. This is why it’s interesting to see that Apple is exploring the idea of a much smaller controller in the form of a ring.

In a patent discovered by AppleInsider, it seems that Apple is looking into maybe creating a ring that has the ability to detect gestures and also what’s in the user’s hand. So for example, if the ring detects that there is an Apple Pencil in the hand, it could adapt its gestures accordingly, where flicking your wrist could be an undo function, flicking it the other way could change the writing tool, and so on.

The ring could also be used to help tell another device, like a pair of smart glasses, “where” the Apple Pencil is in relation to the glasses, so that users can then use the Apple Pencil combined with the ring to draw virtually in the air. It is a rather interesting patent, although we have to wonder how practical it would be to get people to wear additional accessories when out in public.

That being said, as this is a patent, there’s no telling if Apple will ever make it a reality, but like we said, it is interesting and perhaps it could be further refined on.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Apple, Gadgets
Tags: Patent, Wearable Tech