A mixed-reality headset that is equipped with sensors for the lower jaw and eyebrows to gauge a user’s environment, hand gestures, motion, eye movements as well as expressions, has been developed by Apple. Even though the patent, titled “Display System Having Sensors”, was filed in March this year, it was finally published last week, as reported by Variety.

Apple offers the creation of 3D virtual avatars of iPhone users via its Memoji and Animoji features by using the facial recognition technology. A user’s facial expressions can then be detected and imitated by the 3D avatars. For its mixed-reality headset, a similar technology with sensors can be used for tracing a user’s lower jaw and eyebrow movements to interpret expressions.

The patent mentioned, “The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising: tracking, by the user-facing sensors, position, movement, and gestures of the user’s hands, expressions of the user’s eyebrows, and expressions of the user’s mouth and jaw; and rendering, by the controller, an avatar of the user for display in the 3D virtual view based at least in part on information collected by the plurality of user-facing sensors” As per a CNET report, the Apple headset, which is codenamed, T288, is expected to be launched in 2020 and will support both virtual and augmented realities. The headset, equipped with dual 8K displays for each eye, will come with an Apple-designed processor, which will be wirelessly connected to it.