Apple is looking into a system to help Vision Pro users find the best-fitting headband. The tech giant has filed for a patent (number US 20240230318 A1) for a “Fit Detection System For Head-Mountable Devices.”
About the patent filing
One of the complaints of the Vision Pro is that it’s uncomfortable to wear for long periods. Apple notes that many of the functions performed by the spatial computer are optimally experienced when the components are in their most preferred position and orientation with respect to a user wearing the head-mountable device.
For example, the head-mountable device can include a display that visually outputs display-based information toward the eyes of the user. The position and orientation of the displays relative to the eyes depends, at least in part, on how the head-mountable device is positioned on the face of the user. Due to variations in facial features across different users, a given head-mountable device may require adjustment to accommodate different users. For example, different users can have different facial features (e.g., face plane slope, forehead size, eye location).
Accordingly, different users may perceive the displayed information differently unless a preferred arrangement is provided. Apple’s patent is for a method for providing such a preferred arrangement.
Summary of the patent filing
Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent filing: “A fitting device that can be worn by a user to facilitate detection of the user’s features and guide the user to selecting components (e.g., modules) of a head-mountable device that will provide the best fit when assembled together. By providing head-mountable devices with modular features, certain modules can provide a custom fit without requiring the entire head-mountable device to be custom fitted to each user. An electronic device can be operated to guide a user to select the optimal components, such as a face seal and/or head engager for use with an HMD module.”
