Apple is developing a futuristic stylus that lets users draw on nearly any surface — including in mid-air.
In a recently filed patent, the Silicon Valley giant describes how the pen-like device can be operated without a touch-sensitive device, such as a touchscreen tablet or smartphone.
A device, such as a computer, would be wirelessly tethered to the stylus and a camera would track the pen’s movements via sensors, according to the filing.
As a result, users wouldn’t just be limited to 2D drawings, they could also create 3D doodles drawn in mid-air.
Pictured, the patent describes a next-generation stylus that would be able to draw in mid-air, thanks to sensors that communicate with a tracking camera on a laptop or desktop computer
The patent was filed in July 2016, but was only made public January 18.
The stylus would also be able to write on typical surfaces like a MacBook laptop or Mac desktop computer, as well as on new devices like the Apple Watch or the iPhone.
Apple already has a stylus, called the Apple Pencil, that was released in September 2015.
However, the Apple Pencil, which costs $99 (£79), can only draw on the iPad Pro.
Motion and orientation sensors would track the path of the stylus. As a result, the stylus doesn’t need a solid surface to write on, such as a tablet or computer.
According to the patent, the next-generation stylus could be controlled using two different methods.
The filing also notes that the stylus could be used to draw on surfaces like an iPhone, MacBook, an Apple Watch and what appears to be an iPod.
The pen would have a force sensor in the tip of the device that detects whether it’s lifting off or touching on a device.
A ‘motion and orientation sensor,’ such as a camera, would track the movement of the stylus. It seems plausible that the camera feed could come from a computer webcam.
It could also be tracked using an electromagnetic or sound-based receiver, the patent notes.
The application shows the stylus being used to draw 3D objects, shapes, lines and handwritten words.
When a user draws a shape in the air, they might be able to receive feedback from the tethered device in the form of buzzes or LED lights, New Atlas noted.
Apple patents many technologies that never actually get built, so it’s unclear if the stylus will ever see the light of day.
If Apple does release a stylus that can draw in mid-air, it would certainly put the firm ahead of rivals’ devices, such as Microsoft’s Surface Pen or Google’s Pixelbook Pen.
Currently, the Apple Pencil can only draw on the iPad Pro (pictured). However, Apple’s patent suggests that the next-generation stylus can draw on devices like the Apple Watch
IS APPLE BUILDING A STYLUS THAT CAN DRAW IN MID-AIR?
Apple recently filed a patent that shows off a stylus that can draw in mid-air.
The patent was originally filed in July 2016, but was made public January 18.
The pen-like device can be operated without a touch-sensitive device, such as a touchscreen tablet or smartphone .
It would have a force sensor in the tip of the device that detects whether it’s lifting off or touching on a device.
A ‘motion and orientation sensor,’ such as a camera, would track the movement of the stylus. It seems plausible that the camera feed could come from a computer webcam.
Apple’s current stylus, the Apple Pencil, is due for an upgrade since being released in September 2015.
It’s unclear if Apple is actually building a stylus that draws in mid-air, but if it is, this could be the next generation stylus to follow the original Apple Pencil.
That said, Google now has the competitive edge of being a part of the Universal Stylus Initiative (USI), an initiative aiming to create a stylus that can write or draw on almost any device.
USI wants to create a standard stylus design that manufacturers can use to create pens that are compatible with touch screen devices from different gadget makers, such as tablets and computers.
It counts 30 companies as members, including tech bigwigs Intel, LG, Dell and tablet maker Wacom.
Apple, Microsoft and Samsung have yet to join USI.