Future Macs Can Come With Face ID And Detect Hand Gesture

JAKARTA - Apple has again raised new hopes for Mac users with the discovery of a new patent that reveals the potential for Face ID use and hand gesture detection through advanced camera technology such as LiDAR and event camera events.

Face ID technology first appeared on the iPhone X in 2017, and is now a standard feature on almost all iPhones and iPads. However, until now Mac still doesn't have it.

The latest patents revealed suggest that Apple is not only considering Face ID for Macs, but also wants to integrate hand gesture detection, making Mac more interactive and responsive to user movements.

Although it does not explicitly mention the term "Face ID" or the "face key" feature in its patent document which consists of more than 12,000 words, Apple explains the details of using the front camera to detect the user's hand movements. The camera is described as being installed at the bottom of the MacBook screen, but still has a point of view facing users.

One of the main challenges in gestur detection is speed and accuracy. Ordinary cameras that take pictures in frames per second can lose quickly in capturing fast gestures. Apple proposes the use of event cameras, which are able to record changes in each pixel in real-time, resulting in a much faster and more accurate response.

However, event camera can also be too sensitive and produce too much data, making it difficult for the system to distinguish between hand movements and other elements in the background. The solution? Apple recommends the use of a "bounding box" or detection box that only focuses on the area where the user's hands are located. Ordinary cameras will help filter the background so that the camera event only analyzes relevant areas.

Apple describes a scenario where users can control virtual objects via hand gestures. Illustration in a patent document shows a computer on a table with the user's hand circumvented by the bounding box, signaling the system is capable of recognizing and processing specific gestures.

Although this patent is not necessarily realized soon, its emergence indicates that Face ID and gesture control for Macs are not just a dream. The problem of the thickness of the MacBook screen which has been considered to hinder Face ID integration could be resolved soon. Moreover, Apple is rumored to be developing the iPhone Fold and iPhone 17 Air with a super thin design.

With this patent, Apple appears to be building a foundation towards future touchless interactions "opens the potential for Macs that can recognize your face and hand movements without the need to touch the keyboard or trackpad."