Apple document reveals multiple upgrades planned for FaceTime

According to a Forbes report, Apple has revealed a raft of new technologies designed to take FaceTime calls to the next level, incorporating new concepts such as multi-camera setups, in-air hand gestures and vibrating input devices.

The article says the list of new technologies is detailed in a huge new patent application, spanning 256 pages, that presents multiple upgrades to Apple’s video-calling system such as:

° Multiple camera setups that can capture documents and objects on the users’ desks at the same time as, or instead of their faces.

° Gesture recognition, allowing the users to perform tasks such as zooming and panning or switching between cameras by making familiar hand gestures such as ‘pinch-to-zoom’ in front of the camera.

° Smart software to automatically keep the right objects centered on screen to cut down on the need for user interactions by performing functions automatically as needed.

° Physical input devices and touchscreen displays featuring pressure-sensitive input and enhanced haptic feedback that uses subtle vibrations to “trick” users into feeling physical button presses and changes in surface roughness as they navigate on-screen controls.