Multi-touch might be the king of user interfaces at the moment, but Apple isn’t doing any laurel-resting. No sir: the firm has filed a new patent application detailing yet more ways to control a touch screen device.
Entitled “Multitouch Data Fusion”, the document describes using voice, gaze (yes, the direction you’re looking in!) and facial recognition to enable users to interact with a next-gen Apple device. A built-in camera would record eye movement in order to work out the on-screen objects the user is focussing on – so you could simply look at a window to select it. The same camera would monitor your face, looking for signs of frustration when a gesture (or gaze) is interpreted incorrectly – hey presto, instant undo!
The camera will also be able to follow a user’s fingers, allowing an even greater degree of control than regular multi-touch.
We shouldn’t take it for granted that all this incredibly cool stuff will actually make it into the next Macbook or iPhone, but it’s a intriguing look into what the boys and girls at Cupertino have in store for the future.
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