TOPIC
AR / VR
Stories containing inventions related to AR / VR, tracing similar ideas across companies and years through patent drawings.
STORIES
Companies · Snap
How Far Can Snap Turn Reality Into an Interface?
A wristwatch becomes an AR launcher. Fingers replace controllers. Two hands align a shared AR space. A wall gets an x-ray-like overlay, and the display eventually moves into a contact lens. Ten Snap patents that push the interface beyond the phone screen.
Companies · Meta
When the Body Becomes the Interface: 10 Meta Patents
A VR headset that reconstructs your face for people outside, virtual objects you can feel, an EMG wristband, ultrasound face tracking, predicted avatar legs, physical keyboard tracking and electrodes in the ear. Ten Meta patents that turn the body and the physical world into the computer interface.
Companies · LG
Rollable Screens, Transparent Doors and Following Robots: LG Patents
A television that rolls out of sight, a refrigerator door that turns transparent, a robot that finds a wall or floor for projection, a phone that grows sideways, and a vehicle display that changes shape. Ten LG Electronics US patent publications where the boundaries of screens and appliances start to move.
Companies · Samsung
Where Does the Screen Go? 10 Samsung Patents
A display inside a contact lens, a keypad projected onto the hand, a walking-assist wearable robot, a screen that turns into a mirror, rollable displays, and a virtual keyboard pinned to the palm. Ten Samsung Electronics US patent publications reveal devices whose shape and location keep moving.
Companies · Microsoft
Microsoft Patents Put Interfaces on the Body and Around the Room
A ring that reads finger bends, forearm EMG as an input device, a fluid-stiffening haptic glove, a holographic keyboard, tiny robots that let you touch virtual objects, and a folding display. Ten Microsoft US patent publications in which the boundary of input and output keeps moving.
Companies · Sony
Wigs, Bananas and New Controllers: 10 Sony Patents
A computer hidden in a wig, a banana turned into a game controller, a camera contact lens, hot-and-cold controls, giant spheres under both feet and a robot rebuilt as a giraffe. Ten US Sony patent publications in which the interface takes many different forms.
Companies · Disney
Walking Characters and Flying Ships: 10 Disney Theme-Park Patents
Walking robot actors, huggable soft robots, pirate ships hiding drones, flying pixels, a blade that extends from a lightsaber hilt, moving floors and images suspended in fog. Ten Disney patents that turn the park itself into part of the show.
Companies · Google
When Computers Leave the Screen: 10 Google Patents
Sticky car hoods, VR shoes, robot personalities, flying telepresence screens and balloon networks: ten Google patents that sketch some unexpected futures.