Apple patents a stylus that recognizes on-screen textures
In recent months, the news about Apple's latest patents has been arriving quite often showing that the company is deeply interested in innovating new ideas, methods, and equipment. Yesterday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted one more Apple's request: the patent for a so-called "iPen", a hand-held stylus for a rumored 12-inch iPad Pro.
According to the patent's description, the stylus has an ability to analyze and react to different textures, create 3D images, and provide haptic feedback so that users feel the texture of on-screen illustrations with their fingers. The possible way to get the haptic feedback is through sensors. Photodiodes and onboard cameras as well as contact, capacitive, and pressure sensors will be used to analyze on-screen textures like paper, wood, and glass. As soon as the stylus recognizes the texture in use, it vibrates accordingly. The stylus could also learn what texture is being used via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
Yet, it's unclear whether Apple is going to make the stylus a reality or not, but many specialists suppose that such texture-sensing styli would be suitable for a wide range of applications, including gaming, painting, and image editing applications.
