In a world where technology is so crucial, we use different kinds of devices every day. But what if interacting with these devices could be made much easier and quicker?
A patent was recently approved - patent number US20230333664A1, by HTC - that tries to mitigate a recurrent issue: operating physical buttons quickly on hand-held controllers, like those we use to play video games. The thing is, traditional operation can be slow, cumbersome, and often inaccurate.
Using the old system of physical buttons can limit the free operation of our hands, restricting the range of actions we can perform simultaneously. Additionally, the tendency to input inaccurate commands is high as it might be difficult to determine clear input actions.
Now imagine if this problem were solved. The HTC patent offers a promising solution. It proposes using a pair of special glasses that can respond to finger taps. Companies like HTC Vive and other VR companies could potentially use this. These glasses make use of a wearable gadget - akin to a smartwatch - that sends signals in response to finger tapping. This way, it can quickly and accurately perform operations on your device.
How does this work? In essence, the smart glasses and the wearable gadget "communicate" and determine an action based on where you tap and how. Once they recognize the pattern, it's translated to a command on your computer.
Imagine being at home or work and being able to interact with your smart devices by simply tapping on your glasses. Need to send a quick command to stop or start music? Just tap your glasses. Need to switch off a device quickly? A tap on your glasses should do it.
This innovation, if developed, stands to make our interaction with smart devices significantly easier, quicker and more intuitive. However, keep in mind, even though this is a licensed patent it does not necessarily mean it will appear in the market in the form we see it now.
Postscript: Having great innovative ideas is one thing, turning them into reality is another. This patent does indeed provide a solution to a prevailing limitation and it will be interesting to see whether and how it develops in the coming years.