Microsoft applies for smart fabric patent for use in Surface laptops, wearables

[The AchieVer]

Microsoft applies for smart fabric patent for use in Surface laptops, wearables

 

 

Our favorite gadgets may soon offer touch-sensitive surfaces made out of something other than glass.

According to Windows Latest, Microsoft recently filed a patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for its development and proposed usage of touch-sensitive smart fabric technology.

 

The patent application, which was filed in July of 2017 and published on January 24, 2019, describes how the technology conglomerate intends to implement its touch-sensitive smart fabric in a variety of its existing product lines.

The tech appears to involve touch sensors integrated with fabrics to give users more ways to interact with their devices by using touch gestures. Microsoft’s application for the smart fabric patent includes a number of possible of uses for the touch-sensitive fabric. Such proposed uses included its incorporation in tablets, personal computers, holographic computers with head-mounted displays, wearable wristband computing devices, and even home furniture.

 

The patent application doesn’t name the product lines that could be affected by Microsoft’s proposed use of smart fabrics. However, based on the application’s included descriptions and diagrams of each possible use, it is fairly likely, as both Windows Latest and MSPoweruser reported, that Microsoft HoloLens, Surface 2-in-1 laptops, and Surface tablets will be impacted.

If the smart fabric technology ends up actually being used by Microsoft, the patent application went into some detail as to how it would look when used. For tablets, the smart fabric could be located on the “front side surfaces” and on “a back surface.” For the HoloLens, the fabric would most likely be embedded in the HoloLens’ adjustable band to allow users to control things like a “virtual cursor” and the device’s volume, as well as “scroll through settings.” Smart wristbands (or watches) were also mentioned in the patent application, and their description included the possible use of smart fabrics in the development of GSR (galvanic skin response) sensors, heart rate sensors, and even temperature sensors.

 

As for home furniture, the patent application shows a diagram in which a computing device is embedded in the arm of what looks like a sofa. But the written description goes further, stating that Microsoft’s smart fabric could also be used to control things like televisions, desktop computers, lighting, and appliances.

 

 

Source

[Rickta]

Microsoft files patent application for interactive "smart fabric"
The tech would give a whole new meaning to Surface devices

 

 

 

Forward-looking: Microsoft just applied for a patent on "smart fabrics" which would move touch interaction from just the screen onto the entire device. Such a technology would have wide-ranging applications, from tablets and laptops, to wearables, and even home furniture.

If you thought only touching the screen to interact with devices was getting boring, you're in luck. Per a recent patent submission by Microsoft, the future of touch input lives in smart fabrics.

Microsoft is purportedly planning on adding the smart fabric technology to its Surface devices, giving them an extra user interface alongside the touch screen.

According to the patent, the tech involves touch sensors integrated into fabrics, turning any surface (no pun intended) into a capacitive input device. While Microsoft hasn't revealed any plans for the smart fabric, it's easy to envision possible uses for it.

Smart fabric in the Surface Laptop and Surface Book could eliminate the need for a trackpad and adding the fabric to say, the Surface headphones, could allow for more granular control over features without needing to interact with a phone or laptop.

The patent goes into some detail of potential use cases. In tablets, the fabric could be located on both "front side surfaces" and "back side surfaces", allowing for user input on either side of the device. The patent also mentions the potential use of the fabric in smart watches, galvanic skin response sensors, and heart rate sensors. The upcoming HoloLens is also mentioned in the patent description. Implementing the fabric into the adjustable band would allow users to control volume, settings, and a cursor with just a touch.

Beyond electronic devices, the patent also depicts the tech in what looks like the arm of a sofa. Presumably, adding smart fabric into furniture would enable the control of televisions, lighting, and appliances without having to actually get up off the couch.

Source.

[Karamjit]

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