Apple smart ring could use U1 chip to detect when wearer points at devices

Posted:
in General Discussion edited February 27

Apple is continuing to research creating an Apple Ring that could replace certain Apple Watch functionality -- and maybe use a U1 chip to also identify what other device a user is pointing at.

As well as internal sensors that register where a finger is being pointed, the ring could have a touch screen
As well as internal sensors that register where a finger is being pointed, the ring could have a touch screen



Building on a prior patent application regarding a wearable smart ring, Apple has now added a plan for such a device to include point detection. That is, when a user performs a gesture on the ring, they may now be able to point at their other devices.

"Devices, methods, and graphical user interfaces for a wearable electronic ring computing device," US Patent No. 10,627,902, starts by describing the benefits of a ring over devices such as an iPhone, or to an extent even a MacBook Pro.

"The use of touch-sensitive surfaces as input devices for computers and other electronic computing devices has increased significantly in recent years," it says. "Use of existing touchpads and touch-screen displays, however, may be cumbersome, inconvenient, or inefficient for certain tasks and applications."

"A user's hands may be preoccupied with another task, for example, or the user's hands and/or arms may become fatigued after holding the device in a viewing position for extended periods of time," it continues. "The light emitted by a touchscreen may be inappropriate in certain social environments or even dangerous if it gives away the position of a threatened user."

Aside from that scary last proposition, the patent's examples of problems can be seen to relate to screen issues that Apple both does and does not do. For instance, the business about a user's hands being occupied could be a tacit acknowledgement that iPhone screens are now so big that users struggle to control them single-handedly.

Equally, the issue regarding viewing positions could be a nod to how Apple repeatedly claims that there won't be a touchscreen MacBook Pro because it's ergonomically uncomfortable.

Whether these examples are really a dig at Apple or its rivals, the patent makes a strong case for how these devices we all use could be bettered.

"Furthermore, switching back-and-forth between different input modes, such as a keyboard and mouse, may be inefficient," it continues. "A need therefore exists for a more discreet, safer, more efficient, or more ergonomic way to interact with touch pads or touch screens."

Apple believes that a smart ring is the answer, and while you're not going to be doing Photoshop drawing on your index finger's ring, what you can do is control other devices.

"[A ring gives a user] faster, more efficient methods and interfaces for controlling external electronic devices," says Apple, "thereby increasing the effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction with such devices."

"For example, the ring computing device is more portable than a mouse, doesn't require a computer, doesn't require eye contact with the touch screen, allows the user to not be tied to a computer, cellular phone, or tablet to certain control electronic devices (e.g., televisions), reduces the inefficiencies of mode switching by not requiring a user to move his or her hand off a keyboard to move a mouse or touchpad, and is smaller, more portable, and less obtrusive than existing devices."

Apple could've added the words "so there," to the end of all that, except there's more.

"The ring computing device can be operated using a single hand; the ring does not need to be put aside when, for example, the user needs to hold another object. The ring computing device can be carried unobtrusively for periods of time by the user and used when the user requires (to, for example, control light of a room as the user enters the room or to control devices at work or in a car). The ring computing device can also receive information from external devices in the form of messages or images on a touchscreen, pulses or vibrations of haptic actuators, and sound."

The patent also describes various ways in which a ring could be charged, here including a connector on a car steering wheel
The patent also describes various ways in which a ring could be charged, here including a connector on a car steering wheel



So a little ring could be a remarkable controller for other devices and a receiver of information. It could give distinctive notification taps that tell the user whether there's a message or some other form of alert. It could work with HomeKit to unlock a user's front door or turn on their lights, for instance.

While all of this has been covered to some extent in a previous version of this patent, the new one specifically adds a method by which the user can specify which device they want to do something with.

"[The ring] detects an input, and, in response...[transmits instructions] in accordance with a determination that a predefined hand gesture directed toward a first external electronic device was performed,"says the patent.

If you have two HomePods, for instance, you could point at the one you want to turn up the volume on. Perhaps if you need to show your iPhone screen on a nearby monitor, you could activate AirPlay by pointing at which display you want.

All of this requires the ability for a ring to detect a gesture, and for it and the intended device, to recognize that the user is pointing. While the patent makes no reference to it, the logical inference is that this could be a use for Ultra Wideband.

Apple's U1 chip, introduced in the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro, is so far only used for speeding up the selection of a device during AirDrop. If a user is pointing their phone at another U1-enabled iPhone, then that is the one that appears at the top of the AirDrop list.

Ultra Wideband is for short-range and very precise location tracking, though, so it's seemed certain that Apple has plans for more elaborate uses for it. This updated smart ring patent could be that.



Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    avon b7avon b7 Posts: 7,624member
    Anything that makes interaction with devices more precise and intuitive is a plus.

    I'm also far more likely to wear a ring than a watch. 

    The only 'problem' is that there is a device in the idea as opposed to, for example, a camera identifying you or voice ID and then interpreting your movements. 

    Still, options and being able to decide for yourself are always good. 
  • Reply 2 of 12
    davendaven Posts: 696member
    I can see the Apple nerd wedding now.... With this ring, I thee wed... until software upgrades are no longer available.
    avon b7GeorgeBMac
  • Reply 3 of 12
    I really need this ring. Getting notifications on my watch has become so boring and requires so much elbow/wrist interaction that I need this new peripheral to take care of that. My wrists are almost torn out
    GeorgeBMac
  • Reply 4 of 12
    zimmiezimmie Posts: 651member
    I seriously doubt Apple wants to get into rings. Sizing is unbelievably fiddly.

    Covering 90% of the population takes about 20 fixed ring sizes. This number goes down somewhat if people are willing to wear it on any finger, but lots of people have a preferred finger for rings, and others feel wrong. Can you imagine Apple stocking 20 different SKUs per finish just for different sizes?

    Now imagine a ring with segments for the electronics and an adjustable sizing segment. Would anybody want that? Sliding parts pinch, and the skin on your fingers is among the most vulnerable to pinches.

    Some kind of elastic could work, but can you see Apple ever making anything with elastic?

    Edited to add: Just seems like folding displays. They look cool in demos which can ignore the practical considerations, but those practical considerations are killer.
    edited April 2020 macplusplushammeroftruthwatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 12
    Last time people got excited about a ring, they had to trek all the way to a volcanic mountain to get rid of it. 
    edited April 2020 GeorgeBMacrezwitswatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 12
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    One feature a ring could offer would be regular or continuous EKG monitoring.   Right now you have to close the loop by touching the crown with a finger of the other hand to get an EKG.

    Or, another benefit might be a switch from battery draining and not always accurate & dependable optical heart rate monitoring to electrical monitoring.   That would be a significant improvement.

    Serious athletes would welcome that.  Not only would they get better heart rate monitoring but the extended battery life would mean they wouldn't have to worry about the watch dying in the middle of a long distance run or hike -- and theycould throw away their Garmins.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 12
    microbemicrobe Posts: 51member
    All kinds of Apple nonsense but not one step toward blocking annoying robocalls. No programmable/boolean call blocking. Just concerted efforts to prevent app writers from doing even a simple area code block. Why does Apple hate its users?
  • Reply 8 of 12
    A smart ring makes no sense for finger tracking when they can already do that using just camera sensors and AI processors. The Quest VR headset can do that today even if it is a bit crude. In another generation, it should be a lot more precise. If the ring is for people that don't want to wear a watch, I guess it makes sense. That has to be an awfully tiny market though.
  • Reply 9 of 12
    BeatsBeats Posts: 3,073member
    daven said:
    I can see the Apple nerd wedding now.... With this ring, I thee wed... until software upgrades are no longer available.

    Someone proposed to a girl with AirPods already. Though he was just asking to be his girlfriend. She tossed her wired earbuds.


    zimmie said:
    I seriously doubt Apple wants to get into rings. Sizing is unbelievably fiddly.

    Covering 90% of the population takes about 20 fixed ring sizes. This number goes down somewhat if people are willing to wear it on any finger, but lots of people have a preferred finger for rings, and others feel wrong. Can you imagine Apple stocking 20 different SKUs per finish just for different sizes?

    Now imagine a ring with segments for the electronics and an adjustable sizing segment. Would anybody want that? Sliding parts pinch, and the skin on your fingers is among the most vulnerable to pinches.

    Some kind of elastic could work, but can you see Apple ever making anything with elastic?

    Edited to add: Just seems like folding displays. They look cool in demos which can ignore the practical considerations, but those practical considerations are killer.

    It's Apple, they know what they're doing and why. This isn't the first time people questioned Apple's developments.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 12
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    Beats said:

    zimmie said:
    I seriously doubt Apple wants to get into rings. Sizing is unbelievably fiddly.

    Covering 90% of the population takes about 20 fixed ring sizes. This number goes down somewhat if people are willing to wear it on any finger, but lots of people have a preferred finger for rings, and others feel wrong. Can you imagine Apple stocking 20 different SKUs per finish just for different sizes?

    Now imagine a ring with segments for the electronics and an adjustable sizing segment. Would anybody want that? Sliding parts pinch, and the skin on your fingers is among the most vulnerable to pinches.

    Some kind of elastic could work, but can you see Apple ever making anything with elastic?

    Edited to add: Just seems like folding displays. They look cool in demos which can ignore the practical considerations, but those practical considerations are killer.

    It's Apple, they know what they're doing and why. This isn't the first time people questioned Apple's developments.
    It's a patent and not a product. Some of the posters are giving their opinions for why it will remain a patent and not a product just as a whole lotta other patents they file. FWIW every big tech has been toying with the idea of "one ring to rule them all" for close to a decade, and some even longer.
  • Reply 11 of 12
    rezwitsrezwits Posts: 878member
    With a Heads Up Display, AR Glasses, VR Glasses, etc a TrackPad ring would be INSANE, a good one at least, and we all know there's only one company who can get these things right. Hmm Apple, Kickstarter can a swift Kick in the...
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 12
    “Hey Siri where are my keys” spins around, haptic feedback when facing in the right direction.
    Touch ID on ring to unlock/lock.
    Gestures or side or corner touches on ring to activate shortcuts. Anything from call 911 to turn on lights to tell friends I’ve arrived at the bar.

    Most functions could be done with a watch but with a watch any interaction requires 2 hands. Ring allows one handed (actually just thumb and forefinger) operation leaving 1 1/2 hands free. Eg opening door while carrying groceries

    Still going to be a hard sell but the watch  and to a certain extent the AirPod line, has expanded the physical universe of interactive devices to wearables.

    What if rings aren’t metal but fabric?
    watto_cobra
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