Apple has been granted a patent (number 11,301,048) for a “wearable device for detecting light reflected from a user.” It involves the Apple Watch responding to various gestures and movements of a user’s hand, arm, wrist, and fingers.
About the patent
In then patent filing Apple says that many existing portable electronic devices use voice or touch input as a method for the user to communicate commands to the devices or to control the devices. While such inputs can be an effective way to control a device, Apple says there may be situations where the user’s ability to speak the verbal command or perform the touch gesture may be limited. The tech giant thinks improved gesture/muscle flexion features could be an answer.
Summary of the patent
Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent with technical details: “This relates to a device that detects a user’s motion and gesture input through the movement of one or more of the user’s hand, arm, wrist, and fingers, for example, to provide commands to the device or to other devices. The device can include a plurality of myoelectric sensors configured to detect one or more electrical signals from a body part of a user indicative of one or more movements.
“A plurality of signals indicative of the detected one or more electrical signals may be generated. The device may also include a wireless communication transmitter configured to communicate with a peripheral device and a processor. The processor may be configured to receive the plurality of signals from the plurality of myoelectric sensors, use the plurality of signals together to determine a gesture, and communicate one or more of: the plurality of signals and the gesture to the peripheral device.”
