Hasta La Gadget!

You know those goofy tennis racket peripherals that allow for Wiimote insertion? Or, perhaps more sensibly, those Guitar Hero axes that wouldn’t function without a Wiimote planted at the heart? Looks as if Nintendo’s going to do us all one better. Based on a rambling new patent granted to the Big N this week, the company now holds the power to concoct a “remotely controlled mobile device control system.” Distilled down, the verbiage describes a Wiimote-type controller being embedded within a “remote controlled toy,” which would then be (unsurprisingly) used in conjunction with a game console. Essentially, this opens the door for Honda to develop a new variant of ASIMO that takes commands via an embedded Wii controller… or, for a Wii-infused robot to turn on its owner and commit unspeakable crimes against humanity. But hey, it’ll probably be pretty cute.

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, Nintendo

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Source: USPTO

It feels a bit strange to report on a webcam privacy shade as if it were a novelty: various products already let users put a decorative background on screen in lieu of a live stream, or even pull a physical shade across the lens. What Apple is apparently proposing, though, is a camera with such privacy filters built into the camera module itself. The company just applied for a patent on a camera whose images could selectively transition from opaque to transparent and back again, depending on how much privacy is called for.

Based on that illustration up there, we’re going to hazard a guess it could be used in Apple’s MacBook and iMac lines, though the patent application doesn’t explicitly exclude mobile devices, either. (In fact, the filing acknowledges a camera like this could be used in, ahem, a television.) What we’d really like to know is how easy it would be for the user to active the privacy mode. Alas, though, the USPTO doc doesn’t give any definitive answers — the filing suggests the user could choose to switch modes, or that launching certain applications (i.e., those that use the camera) might trigger a change in privacy settings. In any case, that’s about all we can glean from the patent application, but feel free to peek for yourselves if you feel like letting your imaginations get ahead of you.

Filed under: Desktops, Cameras, Laptops, Apple

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Source: USPTO

Apples and oranges watches. Today’s bumper pack of patent applications from Cupertino included this nugget, outlining a small flexible screen that’s paired with a “bi-stable spring.” In normal lexicon, we’re talking about one of those slap bracelets that go from completely straight to wrap-around in an instant. Interestingly enough, Apple isn’t the only tech company sniffing around these bracelets as a possible holster for their tech — Nokia mused on slightly similar notions back in March 2012.

This is an application, so most of what today’s filing tells us is certainly not set in stone, but new ideas include a “kinetic energy gathering component” within the band — like the trickle charge feature found on watches — to pump energy back into the device. One example embodiment of the idea includes a touchscreen interface that will allow music browsing, phone call reviews and even text input through a “simple virtual keyboard.” The concept also mentions AMOLED screen tech, as those deactivated (so, black) pixels would assist in eking out battery life in a device where space is definitely at a premium. The filing also suggests that the device could house an end-detection sensor, allowing the wearable to configure itself to each user, regardless of differing wrist measurements, and deactivate sections of the flexible display that aren’t on show. This particular application was made in August 2011 — a fair while before the recent increase in iWatch murmurings. As is the case with Apple’s patent contributions, however, we’ll wait to see whether the patent is granted and whether these ideas will ever crystallize into a genuine product. In the meantime, maybe it’s time to buy up some snap bracelets on eBay: they might just be making a comeback.

Filed under: Wearables, Apple

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Source: USPTO

You could monitor your sleep using the science of actigraphy but, as we’ve learned, accelerometers don’t always make for the best slumber trackers. The real deal stuff, used by scientists, requires all sorts of electrodes, which are a tad cumbersome and tend to yank out hair. Sony is proposing a system that removes the glue and sticks the sensors in your pillow. This is according to a patent application the company filed that proposes, among other things, an advanced alarm clock that monitors brain waves to detect when you enter and leave REM sleep. One particular example has it guiding users though an efficient power nap, by starting a timer once they’ve started dozing and only waking them once they’ve come out of a deeper sleep state. The proposed alarm could take any number of forms, from a buzzer, to a flashing light or bed shaking motor. To dig through the application for yourself hit up the source link.

Filed under: Sony

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Source: USPTO

Nike’s running sensor, a detachable piece of tech that connected to a companion iOS app, is the closest that Apple’s associated itself to foot metrics so far, but folded inside the company’s patent applications for today is this left-field addition, a shoe wear-out sensor. We assume the idea is geared towards runners — presumably these brogue outlines we’re looking at above are just red herrings.

The application draws together two possible outcomes: one with an thin sensor layer built your footwear of choice and another which keeps the sensor in the heel. A “unitless activity number” is also mentioned, where the device (which could include accelerometers, flexibility sensors and more) could craft an “activity value” based on your movement — this would then also be used to gauge the shelf-life of your current footwear. When this pre-specified threshold is exceeded, it would then sound the alarm. According to one diagram, the process could connect with an external display, likely broadcasting its concern to your nearby iOS device. But if your running needs demand a sensor to tell you when your sneakers are cooked, there might be other things worth tracking.

Filed under: Misc, Apple

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Source: USPTO