back to article Apple's looking at you, kid: Fanbois froth over AR patent docs for gaze tracking headset

The Apple rumour mill churned a perennial favourite back to the surface this week when new patent applications from the company referring to augmented reality tech were published. The application, spotted by Apple Insider on Thursday, proposes a "Display Device" that drawings indicate is clearly a front-of-face headset with …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The Apple rumour mill churned a perennial favourite back to the surface this week when new patent applications from the company referring to augmented reality distortion tech

    There, fixed.

  2. OrientalHero
    Coat

    I thought some monitors already had eye tracking software. I definitely remember the option on some of my games. Ah having googled it, it's provided by Tobii and built into some monitors.

    I guess the main difference is that it will track you outside in the real world and see what your anatomical preference is.

    No way that can happen on a monitor at home... Hmmm. Yes, only look at people in long coats.

  3. Paul Johnson 1
    Big Brother

    Big brother will know what you like.

    What you look at, and for how long, is a big clue about what you like. If your eyes spend more time on something then its a good bet its because you like looking at it. People with weight problems often spend more time looking at food adverts or outlets. And which bits of which other people do your eyes tend to linger on? See this article for more details. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/bj9ygv/the-eyes-are-the-prize-eye-tracking-technology-is-advertisings-holy-grail

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Big brother will know what you like.

      @ Paul Johnson 1

      It would be cheaper for Apple to employ my partner. Always seems to know which part of a persons body I am looking at. As in, what you looking at his arse for? is it better than mine? (The answer is always, always, no)

      Cheers…ghost deejay

  4. adrianww
    Coat

    Forveal???

    Given the description in the article, shouldn't that be foveal? Last time I looked, there's no such thing as a "forvea", just a "fovea" (or "fovea centralis" if you prefer its Sunday name) which is, indeed, the most sensitive part of the retina where light can fall directly onto cone cells.

    Or has the computer industry taken its usual approach of inventing a similar-sounding new word to hide the fact that a bunch of software/hardware engineers and IT salesdroids can't use a medical dictionary?

    (Mine's the one with the copy of "The Human Eye: Its Structure and Function" in the pocket...)

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: bunch of software/hardware engineers and IT salesdroids

      They were probably distracted by an entertaining French lady of the same name.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Forveal???

      I think that's just Alistair. The diagram correctly shows "foveal".

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Maybe it's just me but isn't AR supposed to avert your gaze to where it wants me to look? So for example if it shows me a donner kebab or toasted crumpets that's where I'm going to look. What could be the possible advantage of knowing where I'm looking or my preference to certain things? Oh wait, I think I know the answer to that.

    1. mevets

      right.

      So, do they have any patents on real-time deep fakes? Brave new world!

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: right.

        is anything they have "innovated" not been a fake or copy?

  6. spold Silver badge

    Coming real soon now

    iWatch You (Joe 90 edition).

  7. ecarats
    Boffin

    Is there anything novel in this?

    This seems at about the same level of quality as some of their other related patents for things like VR hand tracking. Nothing obviously original or novel in terms of ideas and lots of stuff that's already offered commercially in some form elsewhere. Even allowing for the delay in the thins coming through these are weak.

    I know some companies like to throw patents around like confetti but I just can't see how some of these got through an initial review with a patent attorney.

    1. aks

      Re: Is there anything novel in this?

      Just another attempt to patent a loose idea. They don't know how or if they can actually make it but Apple seems to be the leader in patenting dreamware.

      Please tell me it's only the USA Patent Office that falls for this stuff.

  8. Neil Barnes Silver badge

    Remind me again

    Why would I want such a thing?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Remind me again

      Well when you are piloting your Apache helicopter gunship you might want to upgrade your standard £30k AR helmet to the new £200k Apple iKillU helmet

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    This is just one random patent they filed

    Every big company files a ton of patents that don't end up seeing the light of day, because they think of a better to way to do something, decide not to release the product that would use it, etc.

    Trying to guess what Apple may or may not do with AR from a single patent is ridiculous. They've had a lot of patents for stuff they never released, or stuff they ended up doing a different way (i.e. early 'FaceID' patents)

  10. The Mighty Spang

    total big brother

    they detect when you are gazing at your favorite kind of bits of other humans then automatically fine you, cancel your twitch channel, delete your twitter, notify the local press or employer and call in a reddit hate mob. Youtubers who thrive on controvercy can pay to get early access to these notifcations so they can maximize their content promoting metal wallets,VPN solutions or shitty mobile games.

  11. MacroRodent

    Gaze tracking VR systems is not new

    Eg see https://varjo.com/

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