Apple has been granted a patent (number US 12015758 B1) for “Holographic Video Sessions.” You’d expect such a feature on the Vision Pro, but the patent hints at it on future Macs, iPads, and iPhones.
About the patent
The patent generally relates to providing images for displaying a holographic appearance of an object on a view dependent device to a user of an electronic device and, in particular, to systems, methods, and devices that provide sets of multiple images of the object from different capture positions.
Obviously, audio and video telephone calls can be implemented between two or more electronic devices. However, Apple says that “there exists a need for real time holographic video devices, systems, and methods and other interactive holographic experiences.”
The patent includes devices beyond the Vision Pro, systems, and methods that implement holographic real-time video communications. For example, a holographic video call could be implemented between two or more electronic devices including image sensors and view dependent display devices.
Summary of the patent
Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent: “Various implementations disclosed herein include devices, systems, and methods that provide images for displaying a 3D appearance of a tracked object on a view dependent device. In some implementations, a set of multiple images of the object from different capture positions is provided and then adjusted such as to render the object in focus when using the adjusted images for display on the view dependent device.
“In some implementations, the set of multiple images is provided that includes virtual images generated using virtual image sensors that may improve the appearance of out of focus regions (e.g., outside the 3D object appearance) on the view dependent device. In some implementations, the set of multiple images of a person provides a hologram of the person (e.g., left and right eye views provide the appearance of a 3D person) where the images are adjusted to improve gaze direction of eyes of the person.”
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