Apple has been granted a patent (number US 11751366 B1) for “heat dissipation” for its upcoming Vision Pro. The goal is to make the “Spatial Computer” as comfortable as possible.
The US$3,499 (and up) Vision Pro was previewed at June’s Apple Worldwide Developer Conference. However, it won’t be available until early 2024 — and then, apparently, only in limited quantities.
Apple’s goal is for the Vision Pro to provide passive cooling that utilizes surfaces of an optical assembly to allow heat to be managed in a manner that does not detrimentally impact the visual information displayed to the user. Lenses can be coated with a transparent and thermally conductive material, such as silver nanowire.
Apple says that such a thermal layer can provide superior thermal conductivity, transmittance, flexibility, flat transmission, low cost, and angular color stability. The thermal layer can passively manage heat by increasing the surface area across which heat can be efficiently dissipated.
