“It’s a bold idea, but not completely unheard-of. Startups like Montreal-based OMsignal have long been experimenting with biometric wearables like the OMbra biometric sports bra, which is equipped with heart rate and respiratory sensors.” A newly published Apple patent points to some of the wilder ideas that the company’s engineers sometimes explore. This one concerns…
Once again, a new pair of patents suggests that Apple isn’t quite done with fingerprint recognition. The patents specifically concern acoustic imaging tech that would turn the entire mobile screen into a biometric sensor. So how does it work? Once you sift through the technical jargon, the concept is essentially sonar for the iPhone. When…
A newly published Apple patent application suggests that an unexpected biometric modality could be on its way to Mac computers. The patent application was originally filed with the European Patent Office in 2017, and, as Patently Apple reports, expands the number of features that could potentially be delivered through the Mac Touch Bar from 12…
Apple has filed a patent for a new form of biometric authentication that could be deployed in a future version of the Apple Watch. Originally filed in Q3 2018, the new invention is a light field camera capable of sub-epidermal imaging. The camera would be placed on the underside of the Apple Watch, where it…
A recently published Apple patent suggests that the company could be planning to introduce Face ID and 3D hand gestures to its HomePod line of products. The patent specifically refers to a voice-controlled assistant such as a “countertop speaker,” and would allow such devices to recognize faces, as well as hand waves and other basic…
A pair of recently published Apple patents suggests that the tech company is looking for ways to make self-driving cars safer and more secure. The first of the two patents is particularly intriguing in relation to Project Titan, Apple’s foray into self-driving vehicles. Filed as “Wireless vehicle system for enhancing situational awareness,” the proposed device…
A newly-published Apple patent suggests that the company may not be finished with fingerprint scanning on the iPhone, with engineers considering how the Touch ID system could be used alongside facial recognition. While the patent is almost entirely focused on Apple’s new Face ID 3D facial recognition system, it also takes a moment to illustrate…
“It’s an approach that could prove appealing to health and fitness enthusiasts, and would allow Apple to compete with other new earbud solutions that use biometrics to deliver FitBit-type functionality into that category of wearables.” A newly granted patent suggests that Apple is considering the integration of biometric capabilities into an upcoming version of its…
A newly-surfaced patent application suggests that Apple is trying to extend Siri’s working hours to times when a user’s iPhone is offline. As AppleInsider reports, the patent filing, entitled “OFFLINE PERSONAL ASSISTANT”, describes how Siri queries could be performed on a given device (ie. an iPhone or iPad), rather than automatically outsourced to external servers…
A new patent application suggests Apple is working on computer vision technology that incorporates heat mapping. Vaguely titled “Method And System For Determining At Least One Property Related To At Least Part Of A Real Environment,” the patent application details computer vision techniques for assessing objects in a dynamic environment with multiple moving elements, most…
Various industry reports suggest that Apple is going all-in on facial recognition, but a newly published patent filing suggests that the company hasn’t entirely given up on fingerprint recognition. Essentially, the patent outlines a system that would use one or more light sources to image a user’s fingerprint. Because the light sources would clarify the…
A newly published Apple patent suggests the company has been exploring the possibility of using facial recognition for user identification on its Mac computers for a couple of years now. First filed in Q3 of 2016, the patent is primarily concerned with the creation of a depth map through a Mac’s embedded camera that could…
