“Apple’s ‘Input device having extendable nib’ describes a unique stylus with a number of different nib or tip configurations, each having its own properties for drawing on a multitouch surface like an iPad,” Mikey Campbell reports for AppleInsider. “Published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday, the proposed invention also boasts on-board sensors for motion detection and a light sensor for sampling real-world colors.”
“In one embodiment, the system features light-transmissive nibs or strands through which data may pass to the touch screen or a processor on board the stylus. In this case, the touchscreen display may have cameras embedded beneath its surface to collect light information pumped out from an LED in the stylus,” Campbell reports. “Communicating via light, the stylus would be able to inform the tablet to change a line’s color, engage certain patterns, change brush types and even operate system functions.”
“In some forms, the stylus may be kitted with a sensor suite including accelerometers, gyroscopes and other motion-sensing components that relays stylus position and angle back to host tablet,” Campbell reports. “The array would be helpful in transmitting lean angle that may then output a wider stroke, mimicking the motion of a wide-tipped pen.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lynn Weiler” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Adobe unveils iPad-compatible, cloud-enabled ‘Project Mighty’ smart stylus and ‘Napoleon’ digital ruler – May 7, 2013
Apple patent application reveals advanced ‘active stylus’ for iOS devices – December 31, 2012
Apple patent app details smart, heated ‘iPen’ stylus for iPad and iPhone – July 7, 2011
Apple patent application details new type of stylus for iPad – February 3, 2011
Sammy’s gonna get mad about this & their original S Pen stylist… Hey, wait, didn’t Apple Message Pad Newton OS device have a stylist pen?
Does sound rather nineties doesn’t it but I can see how this might be potentially great for artists and designers to express themselves. A more natural photoshop right there in your pen. Doesn’t sound very Apple though I guess.
It sounds completely Apple, much more so than the styli currently available, with a silly bit of rubber on the end.
Artists want/need something to draw with that lets the user see clearly where the tip is for fine stroke detail, and that is even more important if trying to mask areas for photo retouching, or for using vector graphic apps.
Properly creative people who want to use the iPad for artworks will be all over this like a rash.
It’s certainly what I’ve been waiting for, because no other stylus I’ve seen really works like a proper pen or pencil.
In the meantime you might look at the Jot Script.