Patently Apple, Cited by US Patent Office
Patent Technology Developer Moves to Meta
[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Cha] As the competition among global IT giants surrounding the metaverse (extended virtual world) market heats up, additional details about Apple's augmented reality (AR) headset technology have been revealed. As the metaverse market expands beyond the exclusive domain of enthusiasts such as certain gamers, the competition to secure related talent has also intensified.
According to industry sources on the 9th, IT specialized media Patently Apple recently reported that the United States Patent and Trademark Office disclosed Apple's patent application related to metaverse devices for video conferencing and educational purposes. The technology was filed on June 29, and the patent number is 20210325974.
The newly disclosed patent technology concerns an entry-level HMD (head-mounted device) that is fixed to the user's head. The HMD is equipped with image sensors to detect the user's actual physical movements and to collect voice and other sounds. It also includes transparent or semi-transparent displays to detect eye movements.
The core feature of the new patent is the "physical mute mode." This allows the HMD user’s real-world hand or arm movements to be mirrored exactly in virtual meetings within the metaverse. Mirroring is a technology that displays identical data on another display as if reflected in a mirror.
Basically, HMD users express themselves in the virtual world through gestures made in the real world. However, if they do not want their actions to be shown in virtual reality, they can activate the "physical mute" or "away" icon on the HMD interface.
The activation of the physical mute icon button is also performed by tracking the user's eye movements or through voice commands. Through HMD settings, users can control not only large movements such as arms and legs but also posture and eye movements.
Amid a global shortage of engineers, competition to secure talent in the metaverse sector is expected to intensify. Patently Apple reported that Bruno Sommer, who participated in the development of the newly disclosed Apple patent technology, recently joined Meta (formerly Facebook) as a metaverse software engineering manager.
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