Apple has invented a ‘finger device’ that will let users move objects in virtual and mixed realities. According to the application filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Apple calls the invention a “Computer Systems with Finger Devices.” The invention was first mentioned in 2018 (in an official filing), but the patent for the device was just approved last week.
When describing how exactly the invention would work, the patent states; “finger input from a user may be used to manipulate virtual objects in a mixed reality or virtual reality environment…. A user may interact with real-world objects while computer-generated content is overlaid over some or all of the objects.” Object rotations and other movements may be converted into input for a mixed reality or virtual reality system using force measurements or other sensors measurements made with the finger devices.”
Translation? The device will use data from our fingers to move objects in both VR and the real-world without us having to touch a screen. Apple rarely comments on product rumors or inventions, and so no official statements regarding the device has been made. All that can be predicted comes from the approved patent.
The patent also mentions how sensors will be integrated into the technology so that our eyes/gaze will be used in coordination with the device when moving objects; “a gaze tracker configured to produce point-of-gaze information associated with eyes of the user, wherein the control circuitry is configured to use the display to display virtual content that is overlaid on real-world content and wherein the control circuitry is configured to use the display to display the virtual content based on the finger input and the point-of-gaze information.”
See what else Apple has planned by reading the full patent here.