- Apple has released a patent for a mysterious accessory for the Vision Pro, potentially resembling an AirTag.
- The accessory is a “digital stone” that allows AR or VR objects to persist even after a Vision Pro session has ended.
- The patent also suggests that the digital stone could take on many forms, including sensors, cameras, and haptic feedback.
Apple has recently released a patent for a mysterious companion device for the Vision Pro, referred to as a digital “stone”. The device is intended to allow augmented or virtual reality objects to persist even after a Vision Pro session has ended. This is a more general description of the Vision Pro accessories that have already been reported on, which range from fashion-oriented items to additional sensors.
The patent describes the digital stone as a small, portable physical object with a unique identifier. It could be an inactive device without any internal circuitry, a passive device with circuitry that is activated by another device, or an active device with its own processing circuitry and/or display. It could also incorporate various tech, such as cameras, image sensors, touch sensors, microphones, and other sensors.
The patent also suggests that the digital stone could provide haptic feedback, meaning that it could act as a physical control that can be turned or pressed. This is similar to the gloves used with some industrial VR systems, which have pressure sensors and haptic feedback to allow users to “feel” and manipulate virtual objects.
It is not yet clear what benefit the digital stone would offer compared to saving the same work on iCloud and sharing it from there. However, it is an interesting development that could open up a range of potential applications.
