Apple continues to look for ways to make the Vision Pro more comfortable to wear for long periods. The company has filed for a patent for a “Head-Mountable Device With Adaptable Fit.”
About the patent filing
In the patent filing Apple says that many of the functions performed by a head-mountable device are best 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. However, 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 wants the Vision Pro, and any follow-up spatial computers, to be able to provide face engagement features that adapt and conform to a user’s face to maximize comfort and light sealing capabilities.
Summary of the patent filing
Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent filing: “A head-mountable device can include adaptable components, which move to comfortably engage the face of the user and to exclude light from an external environment. A head-mountable device can include a light seal that includes discrete portions that bend and/or pivot as needed to conform to a face of the user.
“Such mobility allows the portions to be oriented with respect to corresponding regions of the face, so that an engagement surface of each portion directly engages the corresponding region of the face to maximize the surface area of contact. Such a configuration can be provided while also providing an aesthetically pleasing appearance by providing one or more covers that form continuous, breathable surfaces with the desired opacity.”
About the Vision Pro
Demos of the Apple Vision Pro at Apple Stores in the U.S. can be reserved on Apple.com. To reserve a free Vision Pro demo online, go here, then follow the steps to book an appointment at your local Apple Store.
Pricing for the Vision Pro starts at US$3,499 with 256GB of storage. ZEISS Optical Inserts are available: $99 for reading lens and $149 for prescription lens.
