Apple’s development department appears to be working extensively on possible improvements to Apple TV’s remote control. At the same time, employees are considering the expanded features that should upgrade the compact device to a convenient universal console. An innovative gesture control can be used here.
New procedure for universal remotes
Universal remote controls have been abundantly available for large and small budgets for a long time. Almost all devices have in common that the TV, speaker system, or AV receiver are controlled using special buttons or a touch screen. This requires a certain size, so it’s difficult to design as compact as that of the Siri Remote for the Apple TV. Apple obtained a patent for a process that is supposed to solve this problem in a novel way.
What: Apple
Gestures to select the device you want
The Letter of protection, Which is now published by the US Patent and Trademark Office, titled “Control of Electronic Devices on the Basis of Wireless Band.” Apple describes a special gesture control method to choose which device will be controlled by the remote control. Basic idea: Instead of pressing a button, the user targets a TV, speakers, or streaming box with a futuristic Siri remote control, for example. Other gestures such as movements or rotating forward and backward can change the program, change the volume, or change the lighting condition in the room.
Wireless and sensor distance measurement
According to Apple’s description, a mixture of different technologies are used. In accordance with the patent specifications, the device to be operated can be selected by measuring the distance wirelessly (“wireless range”) with respect to the horizontal and vertical alignment of the remote control unit. This contains various components already known from smartphones, such as gyroscope, compass, or acceleration sensor. This way, according to Apple, a large number of devices can operate with the Siri Remote receiver, as well as televisions, speakers, computers, monitors, home appliances, and even objects found in virtual reality. It is not known if the iPhone company is actually developing a remote control with this technology.
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