Tech giant Apple has filed a patent for a “wearable ring device” with touchscreen and voice-control capabilities, paving the way for a possible launch of the Apple Ring.
Functioning in a related way to the Apple Watch, the ring would react to voice and gesture commands that could be utilised to control other electronic devices, according to the abstract from the patent document filed on one October 2015.
“A user controls an external electronic gadget with a finger-ring-mounted touchscreen that consists of a personal computer processor, wireless transceiver, and rechargeable electrical power source,” the document said. “The ring is worn on a very first finger receives an input from a second finger, selects one particular of a plurality of touch occasions linked with the input, and wirelessly transmits a command associated with the touch event to the external electronic gadget.”
Biometric sensors could capture heart fee, perspiration ranges and other similar information, replacing the need for an activity monitoring wristband.
Relevant story: Apple could launch its first electric vehicle in next 4 years
The gadget may also detect the writing movement of the consumer, possibly permitting it to digitally record hand-written notes.
Apple expects the ring to help users control their products much more effectively.
“The use of touch-delicate surfaces as input devices for computers and other electronic computing gadgets has elevated drastically in latest many years,” explained Apple’s document.
“Use of current touchpads and touch-screen displays, however, might be cumbersome, inconvenient, or inefficient for specified tasks and applications.”
“There is a want for electronic gadgets with more quickly, far more effective techniques and interfaces for interacting and/or controlling external electronic devices,” it continued. “This kind of strategies and interfaces optionally complement or replace typical strategies for interaction.”
Rumours advised that an “iRing” was getting developed to operate the Apple tv ahead of its launch in 2013, but it never materialised.
Relevant story: Apple Watch “fails to excite” and is “a bit underwhelming” say designers
Photographs filed with the new patent depict various positions of modest buttons and dials, along with sketches that show the display each fully integrated into the band or as a bigger component with the frame extended to wrap all around it.
It appears like a scaled-down edition of the Apple View, which was launched final 12 months but failed to impress the design world.
The ring would include to Apple’s increasing variety of new items. Final month, reports emerged that the California-primarily based firm will launch an electric vehicle in the up coming 4 years.
A stylus for technical drawing called Apple Pencil was revealed alongside the iPhone 6s and an Apple Observe collaboration with Hermès at the firm’s annual conference.
