When Computers Leave the Screen: 10 Google Patents

What is it?

FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B show the proposed sequence before and after a collision. A protective coating covers an adhesive layer during ordinary use, then breaks on impact to expose the sticky surface.

The purpose is to reduce a subsequent collision with the road or another object by retaining the pedestrian on the vehicle. These are drawings of a proposed safety mechanism, not crash-test results or proof of injury reduction.

What is it?

The wheeled shoes appear at the feet of the user in FIG. 1. The patent describes tracking their position and driving them toward a return zone when the user approaches the boundary of the available physical space.

FIG. 13A and FIG. 13B show the associated head-mounted display, including its opened housing. The footwear mechanism is described elsewhere in the document; these close-ups should not be read as shoe diagrams.

What is it?

Follow the diagram from the light source to the eye and then to the iris fingerprint reader. The document describes light sensors on or within the contact lens facing the iris and detecting light reflected from it.

Readout circuitry supplies information about the iris pattern for processing and comparison. The overview shows the information flow; it does not show the individual miniature components in detail.

What is it?

The left-hand drawings separate a robot into processing, sensing and mechanical components, then show two possible bodies. On the right, several robots connect through a cloud and a database.

The patent describes adjusting a robot personality using information about a user and transferring personality information between robotic bodies. Here, personality means configurable behavior and responses; the document does not establish machine consciousness.

What is it?

FIG. 9 combines a four-rotor aircraft with a smartphone dock, mirrors and a display screen. The patent describes using the phone for communication and processing, with a mirror directing projected imagery onto the screen.

A second mirror routes a view of the room toward the phone camera. Together with audio input and output, this creates a proposed two-way presence that a remote participant can move through a space.

What is it?

The sleeve detail in FIG. 1 marks an interactive region of the garment. Follow the touch-data path upward to the computing device, where a gesture manager and applications use the input.

The patent describes conductive threads woven into fabric and sensing circuitry that detects touch positions. Gestures such as taps or swipes can then become commands while the input surface remains part of the clothing.

What is it?

The shaded fan in FIG. 7 extends from the wrist device across the hand. The document identifies it as a planar radar field and describes recognizing gestures from interactions within that field.

Small finger movements can become input without pressing a physical control. The diagram shows the sensing region in relation to the hand, rather than a visible display projected onto the skin.

What is it?

FIG. 1 shows a network of balloons with links to ground stations. FIG. 3 expands one balloon into its payload, labeling optical and radio communication systems alongside computing, power and positioning equipment.

The patent describes a hierarchy in which super-node balloons communicate optically and connect to sub-nodes by radio. Ground connections can use different arrangements, including the optical downlink drawn at the lower left.

What is it?

Read FIG. 2A through FIG. 2C as a sequence. A second robot approaches the working robot, the machines meet near the user, and their positions change as the replacement takes over.

The patent describes deciding when a robot needs replacement, selecting another available robot and coordinating the handoff. A battery expected to run too low before the task ends is one possible trigger.

What is it?

The camera sits above the grip in FIG. 1, while the switch is near the bottom tip. The patent describes using ground contact to trigger pictures of the surroundings, with GPS and an inertial measurement unit providing additional position and motion information.

A processing system can combine the images and sensor information into a virtual representation of the environment. Ground contact supplies a repeatable capture event as the user moves along a route.