Apple has filed a new patent for a mixed reality headset that could feature an array of sensors to track the eyes, gestures and even facial expressions of its users.<\/p>\n
Titled \u201cDisplay System Having Sensors<\/a>,\u201d the patent filing \u2014 first reported by Variety<\/a> \u2014 shows that the company intends to combine these inputs \u201cthat provides 3D virtual views of a user\u2019s environment augmented with virtual content.\u201d<\/p>\n The application was filed with the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) on March 21, 2019. It was published last week on July 18.<\/p>\n The proposed system could have hand sensors, \u201chead pose sensors\u201d that can capture information about the user\u2019s position, orientation, and motion in the environment, \u201ceyebrow sensors\u201d to track expressions of the user\u2019s eyebrows, and \u201clower jaw sensors\u201d to track movement of the mouth and jaw.<\/p>\n Augmenting its capabilities further, the head-mounted display (HMD) can also supposedly capture data about the user\u2019s environment \u2014 such as depth, lighting, etc. \u2014 that are fed as inputs to a controller of the mixed reality system, which then renders virtual content based on the information received.<\/p>\n An interesting addition is the \u201cvideo see through\u201d camera that captures high-quality video of the user\u2019s environment to display the user with a virtual view of their real environment on the HMD.<\/p>\n CNET had revealed last April that Apple was working on a mixed reality headset<\/a> that\u2019s capable of running AR and VR applications. According to the report, the project \u2014 codenamed T288 \u2014 is expected to be released next year.<\/p>\n There\u2019s still a lot of variables, and there\u2019s no assurance that Apple is indeed building a headset matching these specifications. But the new patent application throws reasonable light on the the tech giant\u2019s plans for its AR\/VR product lineup.<\/p>\n For more gear, gadget, and hardware news and reviews, follow Plugged on \n Published July 23, 2019 \u2014 09:36 UTC\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2019\/07\/apple-hmd-sensors.png\")
\n Twitter<\/a> and
\n Flipboard<\/a>.
\n <\/i><\/p>\n