Tech giant Apple is working on developing a system that could integrate spatial audio experiences into virtual or mixed reality platforms, potentially for a head-mounted device like Apple Glass.
In a patent application on July 8, Apple details an interface system that could present a “synthesized reality” to users.
However, the patent application details how this reality could go beyond visual and include other senses, such as hearing, reports AppleInsider.
A synthesized reality, in this case, is defined as an entirely or partly computer-generated setting that a user could interact with or sense. That covers both virtual realities and augmented reality — both technologies that Apple is rumored to be working on.
The patent details a user interface system that could adjust an experience beyond the visual.
“For example, an SR system may detect an individual walking a few paces forward and, responsive thereto, adjust graphics and audio presented to the individual in a manner similar to how such scenery and sounds would change in a physical setting,” the patent reads.
An individual may interact with and/or sense an SR object using any one of his senses, including touch, smell, sight, taste, and sound. For example, an individual may interact with and/or sense aural objects that create a multi-dimensional (e.g., three-dimensional) or spatial aural setting, and/or enable aural transparency, – the patent added.
More specifically, the tech giant said that the inclusion of multi-dimensional or spatial aural settings could “provide an individual with a perception of discrete aural sources in multi-dimensional space.”
Apple in 2021 introduced a new Spatial Audio feature that recreates the experience of listening to the audio content in three-dimensional space.
The Cupertino tech giant is said to be working on multiple head-mounted devices, including a mixed-reality visor aimed mostly at gaming and interactive experiences and “Apple Glass,” a more compact HMD that would integrate with an iPhone.
