Apple patent filing involves detecting physical boundaries when using ‘Apple Glasses’

Apple has filed for a patent (number 20220108508) for “detecting physical boundaries” in virtual reality environments. It involves the rumored “Apple Glasses,” an augmented reality/virtual reality device.

About the patent filing

A virtual reality device immerses a user in a virtual environment. Apple notes in the patent filing that a user may become so immersed in a virtual environment that, while moving about the virtual environment, the user collides with adjacent physical objects in the physical environment. 

For example, while wearing a virtual reality head mounted device, a user may move about a large (virtual) room in virtual reality, but in the process, collide with a physical wall of the physical room in which the user is physically located. 

Apple doesn’t want users of the Apple Glasses to injure themselves. Thus, this patent filing involving techniques for indicating physical obstacles in a virtual reality environment. 

About Apple Glasses

When it comes to Apple Glasses, such a device will arrive in late 2022 or 2023, depending on which rumor you believe. 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.”