Last month the US Patent and Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that illustrates the new AirPods Pro with force sensing controls built into its steam. The controls on the AirPods themselves help the user to navigate through the music, manage calls, and it offers three noise-control modes: Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode and Off.
Apple’s AirPods Pro includes a housing defining a force input surface, a first force electrode disposed within the housing, a second force electrode disposed within the housing, a spring member biasing the first force electrode toward the housing and allowing the first force electrode to move toward the second force electrode when an input force is applied to the force input surface, and a controller.
The controller is designed in such a way that it can detect a non-binary amount of the input force by taking into account a change between the first electrode and the second force electrode.
The U.S. Patent Office made the details of the design public on March 26, 2020.
Time and again, the patent highlights the use of force sensors. The force touch sensors that would be embedded on the stem of the AirPods, on both its side, could make it easier for the user to navigate through the options without having to consult their phones. The AirPods Pro has the ability to cancel out the noise from outside and can adapt according to the shape of the ear canal.
Notably, Apple was said to bring the new AirPods Pro to the market that would forgo the noise cancellation feature. Apple had planned to launch the new AirPods in May but given the current situation, there is no doubt that the launch event would be postponed.
However, it is not like the ongoing pandemic stopped Apple from launching new products, the new iPhone SE. There is no official information from Apple when this product will launch and its pricing range.
