What you need to know
- Samsung files a patent for a smartwatch with a built-in projector.
- Projectors are used to display information from the main display in the user’s hands.
- It’s unclear if or when this tech will be implemented in future Galaxy Watches.
Samsung makes some of the best Android smartwatches on the market, with many health sensors and features. However, if the latest patent is problematic, the company may be looking to take things a notch.
A recently published patent was discovered by Wareable showing a wearable device that can project images onto your hand. Smartwatches use a series of microlenses and LEDs mounted diagonally on the side of the device to project a larger view of the smartwatch display.
The patent explains that the properties of wearables like smartwatches limit the size of the display to 2 inches or less, limiting the amount of information that can be displayed. Built-in projectors aim to overcome this challenge, allowing users to better view content from smartwatches while keeping devices small and light.
This could even open up new and improved use cases for watches, such as displaying images and videos.
According to the patent, the controller can tilt the projection so that the image doesn’t appear distorted even when the user’s hand is held at an angle from the wrist.
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As Wearable points out, this isn’t the first time Samsung has patented a smartphone with a projector. Older patents detail smartwatches that project a keyboard that can detect gestures and allow users to control them from their wrists. This could address a major pain point for some, given how small smartwatch keyboards are.
However, while patents are always interesting and give a glimpse of what a company is researching, they don’t always lead to tangible products. So Samsung has yet to launch a smartwatch with this tech (we can only imagine the impact on battery life). Still, it would be great if Samsung could pull that off with a future model, even if it’s not the Galaxy Watch 6.
