Facebook reveals more details on AR glasses in new patent

[ad_1]

We may still be years away from Facebook’s augmented reality glasses becoming an actual product, but we now know a little more about how they might work.

A new patent filing reveals additional details about Facebook’s AR glasses, including how they might handle audio. The patent, originally filed in January but published Thursday, describes a “cartilage conduction audio system for eyewear devices.” 

The glasses’ overall design is similar to what we saw in a previous patent published in 2017, though it now appears plans for the glasses are much further along. 

Using sensors, as well as those that sit inside the ear, the glasses would be able to project sound into your ear while also allowing you to hear ambient noise around you. The idea is similar to headphones that use bone conduction technology, though the patent notes that its cartilage conduction method is more comfortable and reliable than bone conduction.

A patent illustration detailing the glasses' audio system.A patent illustration detailing the glasses' audio system.

A patent illustration detailing the glasses’ audio system.

Image: USPTO

Sensors on the frames would help deliver audio.Sensors on the frames would help deliver audio.

Sensors on the frames would help deliver audio.

Image: USPTO

“The audio system includes a transducer coupled to a back of the ear of the user,” the patent explains. “The transducer generates sound by vibrating the back of the ear […] of the user, which vibrates the cartilage in the ear of the user to generate acoustic waves corresponding to received audio content.”

For Facebook, the ability to deliver sound while not interfering with the ability to hear ambient noise is a key feature for an AR headset, as the wearer needs to be able to interact with the world around them. It also suggests that Facebook intends for the glasses to be worn for an extended period of time. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“A user wearing a head-mounted display in a VR, AR, and MR system can benefit from keeping the ear canal open and not covered by an audio devices,” the patent states.”The user can have a more immersive and safer experience and receive spatial cues from ambient sound when the ear is unobstructed.”

Though Facebook has spoken publicly about its plans to build AR glasses a handful of times, relatively little is known about the project. The company said in 2017 that such a product is at least five years away

Business Insider reported in January that Facebook’s Reality Labs, its division for AR and VR research, has a group working on the glasses. One of the employees listed on this latest patent, Ravish Mehra, is a researcher at Facebook’s Reality Labs, according to a LinkedIn profile. 

[ad_2]
Source link
admin

Recent Posts

فشل الشركة الأمريكية في توزيع المساعدات إثر اقتحام الفلسطينيين نقطة التوزيع وتصعيد الاحتلال بإطلاق النار لتفريقهم

شهدت عملية توزيع المساعدات الإنسانية التي كانت تُنظمها شركة أمريكية في إحدى المناطق الفلسطينية فشلاً…

17 ساعة ago

مأساة الكوليرا في الخرطوم: مشاهد إنسانية مفجعة من داخل مراكز العزل الطبي

في قلب العاصمة السودانية الخرطوم، تتجلى مأساة إنسانية صادمة خلف جدران مراكز العزل المخصصة لمصابي…

17 ساعة ago

تصاعد جديد في الخلاف النووي الإيراني يشعل التوتر بين واشنطن وتل أبيب وسط تحركات إسرائيلية يقودها نتنياهو

يشهد الملف النووي الإيراني مرحلة جديدة من التوتر والاحتقان، خاصة بعد التطورات الأخيرة التي سلطت…

17 ساعة ago

الجولاني يعقد اجتماعًا موسعًا مع وفد من العاملين في منظمات الإغاثة الإنسانية بمدينة حلب

في خطوة لافتة تعكس سعيه لتعزيز العلاقات مع الجهات الإنسانية العاملة في مناطق نفوذه، التقى…

17 ساعة ago

مصر تواصل التقدم بثبات نحو استقرار الاقتصاد الكلي وفقًا لصندوق النقد الدولي

أكد صندوق النقد الدولي أن مصر تخطو خطوات ملحوظة نحو تحقيق استقرار اقتصادي شامل، في…

17 ساعة ago

إيران تنفذ حكم الإعدام بحق رجل متهم بالتجسس لصالح إسرائيل

أعلنت السلطات الإيرانية، اليوم، تنفيذ حكم الإعدام بحق رجل أدين بالتجسس لصالح جهاز المخابرات الإسرائيلي…

17 ساعة ago