Apple Patents Acoustic Commands
February 23, 2011
I love reading Apple patents. The patents are a great indication of what we could see in future iOS devices. Of course, these patents are only research, and there is definitely no guarantee that any of them will ever be used, but we can dream, right?
Patently Apple published notes on what I think could be a rather interesting feature. Using gesture-based commands, the patent suggests that you could possibly open and close an application or adjust the volume with a tap or a scratch on transducers (microphones).
Tuaw sums it up best by saying,
...in other words, as your fingers press and tap on a surface (like a keyboard or a computer casing or even the bezel around an iPad), the audio receivers would determine where and how you touched it, driving a user interface.While the application doesn’t make it perfectly clear what their exact purpose is, I like the direction Apple is heading in. The idea is that these transducers detect a finger making contact with the device and registering those vibrations as gestures. I could really see this being used in gaming. Also, perhaps to make typing a better experience. How could you see this feature used? Share your thoughts below.
