NEW YORK: The US Patent and Trademark Office has granted Apple a patent that is a method for tracking eye movement and the new patent is for visual control technology, which may mean future iPhones and MacBooks may soon track eye movements to control UI elements.
Brief about Apple’s latest patent
This is a gaze-based control system which incorporates methods to counteract visual effects that occur when a person stares at a fixed space for a length of time. This can trick someone’s eyes into thinking some user interface elements completely vanished. The patent also goes into further details on how the device would use built-in camera equipment to track user eye movement and how those movements relate to onscreen elements. In one example, a cursor would follow the user’s gaze and, in certain instances, translates this to on-screen activities.
The primary purpose of this patent is to flesh out tech aimed directly at countering the problematic Troller Effect, which results in certain user interface elements fading or disappearing when the user stares at a fixed point for too long.
