Apple has proposed an Apple Pencil-like stylus that could be used with Apple Vision Pro to convey the texture of virtual objects through haptic feedback.
Apple Pencil can now react to the surface of an iPad, but in future versions could become virtual reality sensors – image credit: Apple
Apple Pencil can now react to the surface of an iPad, but in future versions could become virtual reality sensors – image credit: Apple
There’s an old children’s toy where one pencil is connected to another such that drawing with the first pencil also moves the second. A newly-granted patent is akin to this idea, except instead of copying or enlarging drawings, the Apple Pencil relays “surface roughness and other surface features, as well as motion data (e.g., trajectory and velocity) of the hand-held device” in virtual reality.
This “Surface texture detection and emulation” patent does explicitly refer to a “pencil” system, but it’s really applicable to any handheld device. Whatever form it takes, this is most probably an Apple Vision Pro accessory that Apple says is specifically intended to create “increased immersion during XR [Extended Reality] sessions.”