In today's day and age, everything is getting smart-ified. From phones to accessories, technology has definitely made its way to the things we the people have been interacting with the things today. As a recent example of this, a patent application has been published today that describes a 'smart ring' that can interact and work with smartphones and other large devices. The device in question is a wearable ring made by Apple.
The published patent that has appeared today describes the smart ring as an external electronic device with a finger-ring-mounted touchscreen that includes a computer processor, wireless trasceiver, and a rechargeable power source. The ring is worn on the index finger, while interactions are done with the user's thumb. Reports suggest that the smart ring will possibly feature haptic feedback to alert its wearers when the device actuates. It could also feature a microphone that acts as a voice input for the user to issue commands with.
Using existing touchscreen devices and touchpads, the patent reads "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. 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."
Apple believes that there is indeed a call for a more efficient method and interface for interacting with electronic devices. These new methods would more likely complement or replace the standard ways users interact with their devices.
However, many of Apple's patents do not actually go into production. So do note that Cupertino's file for a smart ring patent would not actually result to an actual product. Although, this could be a sign that Apple is researching for ways to innovate and improve how users interact with their devices, especially now that the majority of the population carry one or two touchscreen devices.
