Apple has filed a patent that will let you control an Apple Watch by moving your fingers

Apple has filed a patent application which announces, in the medium term, the end of the keyboard as we know it.

Apple details the motion-sensing technology that could one day be integrated into the Apple Watch strap in a 21-page document titled “Electrodes for Gesture Recognition.” This device works on the principle of electromyography, by measuring the electrical activity of the muscles and tendons of the forearm. It recognizes a wide variety of wrist and hand gestures such as flexion, extension, pronation and other supinations. “To detect electromyographic signals, multiple rows of electrodes and lead wires can be integrated into the bracelet of a device worn on the wrist”. The impulses thus captured in our forearms will be “translated” directly by the watch.

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In the document submitted to the USPTO, the engineers state that while the various current input devices (keyboards, mice, touch technologies) make it possible to control an electronic device, “they generally have a limited detection range and technologies such as video detection, require a ” overly complex image processing hardware and software “.

You’ll soon be able to control your Apple Watch just by moving your fingers

By placing the motion detection device closer to the sourceit will be possible in the future to do without accessories such as gloves and other external controllers which, in their own words, “are not as commonly used and are therefore less socially acceptable”.

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The proposed technology would be a good complement to the‘Assistive Touch, a feature available from watchOS 8 on the Apple Watch in the accessibility options. The latter allows you to control your watch by pinching your fingers or clenching your fist. Ultimately, the goal is to offer a huge variety of controls by combining the movements of the body, forearms, but also fingers.