Apple Glass is the new buzz in town. The new AR glasses promise some exciting features that are new to the smartphone industry. In most recent updates, apple just got a new patent for a technology that will enable them to implement 3D Audio in the upcoming Apple Glass.
While current processors are capable of outputting acceptable AR results, the sound is a different story. Suppose Apple succeeds in implementing a sound system with its AR glasses that would take things up a step. 3D or Three Dimensional audio processing creates an audio signal varying with the position of the source. Audio from different directions in an AR environment will sound different and make it more believable.
The patent granted to apple is of the title “Head related transfer function selection for binaural sound reproduction,”. By using this method, Apple will be able to simulate Audio to create a surround illusion. Apple got patent for their HRTF technology just a day before. With the help of digital audio processing and various sound filters will allow Apple to make accurate sound approximations.
With the proper implementation of this new technology, it will be able to replicate sound from far off objects from the users. The sound from such an object will be muffled and low-toned. Similarly, the Audio coming from a source behind the user will be of a different pitch. The patent lists several details of this new technology.
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Since HRTF is a transfer function, that means it can be tuned and tweaked with. Every human has different hearing capabilities. Consequently, we can not develop a single preset to provide the best quality of every one.
The developers can, however, make a reasonably accurate model based on average age group, gender, race, and even height. The output 3D sound will then be created using digital signal processing and the average HRTF of the selected user. The music will Ultimately be sent over to the earphones.
Apple can also implement HRTF technology with speakers inside the glasses. This solution is currently in use by some of the smart glasses available in the market. This type of smart glasses can produce sound by vibrating the back of our ear with different frequencies.
In the patent, the creators of this technology are also mentioned. Darius A. Satongar, Jonathan D. Sheaffer, Martin E. Johnson, and Peter V. Jupin collaborated on this project. We might see this in work with the upcoming Apple Glass. We keep on hearing rumors about this new AR headset, but there is no official confirmation by Apple yet.
Also read: Future iPhones could have glowing logos according to a new patent
There is no concrete news about product release right now. While some sources say that Apple Glas might release next year. There are other authentic leakers suggest that Apple glasses swill not be out till 2022. Last we heard about Apple Glas was from Mark Gurman of Bloomberg. According to Gurman, Apple glasses will come out sometime in 2023 and not before that.
Regardless of unclear release, the product is in the development of Apple’s research centers. The AR glasses will most probably run on Starboard. Apple developed this proprietary operating system as a part of its iOS ecosystem. We have seen multiple instances of this AR software throughout the text documents and code from Apple.
Lastly, this new patent technology might not even make it to the new AR glasses. Apple files several patents form upcoming technologies, and not all of them come to users in the final product. At the moment, there is no confirmation that the 3D audio feature will be implemented in the new Glass. In addition, most of the tech giant companies file a plethora of patents every year that never make it past the idea stage.
