Apple uses a variety of sensors to help the visually impaired

According to AppleInsider, Apple is already considering how to help the visually impaired. It will use a variety of sensors to create local environmental models, and then use tactile feedback to tell users what objects are around them.

The US Patent and Trademark Office published a patent application filed by Apple in July 2015, "Guiding Equipment for the Visually Impaired." This patent application describes a system whose core is a device that uses an "input/output touch surface." The hardware also includes data sensors that capture the surrounding environment and can “make” the data into a model that is used to alert users to nearby threats.


The system detects traffic lights, cars and other elements that need to be detected. It can also be used by visually impaired people to pass through furnished rooms or to identify objects.

Patent application materials show that the device will use a variety of sensors to create a model of the surrounding environment, including a positioning and navigation system, a microphone, multiple imaging sensors, and a communication unit connected to the phone, or other device worn by the user.

In some pictures of the patent application, the device looks like a flashlight, the sensor is at one end, collecting data from the environment in front of the user, and the “input/output touch surface” is displayed around the user.

The “input/output touch surface” provides tactile feedback through the user's hand. The surface can remind the user of the name and shape of the surrounding objects. If there are multiple objects in front of the user, it will also tell the user the order of the objects.

Apple's system can also be used with smartphones and smart watches to provide more data support for generating models. The same device can also be used to provide feedback, including user falls, audible feedback after the device has been removed, and tactile feedback.

The patent application also shows that the system can be mounted behind a jacket or jacket to provide feedback to the user, allowing the user to free up his or her hands for other tasks.

Apple applies for a large number of patents every week, many of which are not converted into commodities. Therefore, whether it will launch products based on this patent in the future remains to be seen.