Apple might be working on a device for your fingers to go along with the Vision Pro headset
Some might argue that a tech product is only successful when it has managed to make its presence unnoticeable, as the user forgets about the tool while enjoying what the tool enables them to do. Augmented and virtual reality tech aims to do just that, and Apple's Vision Pro mixed-reality headset seems to come closer to that achievement compared to most of its competitors.
There is one aspect in particular that makes the Apple Vision Pro so exceptional, and that is its tracking capabilities, which is what allows for that super-precise control with nothing but your hands. But the notion of controlling something virtual with just your hands always sounds a bit weird if you cannot feel what you are touching.
According to a new patent granted to Apple, the tech giant might be planning on releasing a device for your fingers to go along with its AR/VR headset as well as other Apple products in the future.
As you probably suspect, this new device would allow you to have a sense of touch. More impressively, the patent appears to imply that it would not only be able to simulate resistance but also motion and different types of texture. (via Patently Apple)
Here are some images showcasing the tech:
How would this be possible? Well, through haptic feedback of course! Apple has a long history of creating gadgets with some of the best vibration motors on the market, and the perfect place where this would be most useful is exactly wearable tech.
There already are haptic gloves, the HaptX, so we know that it is possible. Those gloves are huge though, so we can't exactly say that they match the whole "seamless tech angle." Given that we are talking about just fingers here, Apple's patent describes a more compact and light device that would be more comfortable to use.
Adding something such as the feeling of touch to an AR or VR experience is a game changer, and it only makes sense that Apple would be working on a device that would allow that. That being said, we are talking about a patent here, so it is not certain whether this idea would ever come to fruition. Even if it does, it probably won't be any time soon.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: