‘Apple Glasses’ may be self-cleaning and have audio-based feedback

Apple has filed for two more patents regarding the rumored “Apple Glasses,” an augmented reality/virtual reality/mixed reality head-mounted display.

The first one (patent filing number 20210055559) is particularly interesting to me as it hints the device may be self-cleaning. It’s for “particle control for a head-mountable device.”

Per the patent filing, Apple Glasses could sport an an optical module that removes particles from an optical pathway and captures the particles so they don’t interfere with the user’s view of and/or through optical elements. For example, the display element and/or another optical element can be moved in a manner that releases particles on a viewing surface

The optical module can include a particle retention element that securely retains the particles so that they remain outside of the optical pathway. Such particle removal and retention can improve and maintain the quality of a user’s visual experience via the optical module, according to Apple.

Patent filing number 20210055367 is for “Audio-Based Feedback for Head-Mountable Device.” It would provide for Apple Glasses with multiple microphones for audio detection that would detect audio that’s difficult to hear and direct the wearer in which direction to look.

The HMD could also include a speaker for audio output and/or a display for visual output. It could beconfigured to provide visual outputs based on audio inputs by displaying an indicator on a display based on a location of a source of a sound. 

What’s more, Apple Glasses could be configured to audio outputs based on audio inputs by modifying an audio output of the speaker based on a detected sound and a target characteristic. Apple says such characteristics could be based on a direction of a gaze of the user, as detected by an eye sensor.

When it comes to Apple Glasses, such a device will arrive this year or 2022, depending on which rumor you believe. The Sellers Research Group (that’s me) thinks Apple will at least preview it before the end of the year. 

It will be a head-mounted display. Or may have a design like “normal” glasses. Or it may be eventually be available in both. The Apple Glasses may or may not have to be tethered to an iPhone to work. Other rumors say that Apple Glasses could have a custom-build Apple chip and a dedicated operating system dubbed “rOS” for “reality operating system.”