Apple Eyes Remote Control Personalized Via Fingerprint, Retinal Scan

 

Apple’s Remote Control – Fingerprint/Retina sensor

As proposed by Apple/USPTP, future remote controls can now sport a fingerprint sensor and the company intends a TV remote which could access personal profile as well as setting based on fingerprint or retina. Patent application, known as `Device Configuration for Multiple Users Using Remote User Biometrics’ was published recently by the US Patent and Trademark Office, lays out the technology for personalizing remote controls.

The notion behind it is to enable individuals in a household to access a personal profile on a TV, set-top box or any other device created on biometric information like the fingerprint, and picked up by the remote control. As per Apple’s application, this type of a device could provide a `personalized experience without the need and or bothering others.

Such a type of a technology could spare the disturbance of choosing certain, single profile for the device, on the contrary a touch of your finger or scan of the eye could recall customized setting or those for each household member. Besides, it could also enable parents in restricting certain content for their children.

Technology Extended to Media Centres/Desktop/Tablets ……

Though Apples uses TV as an apparent example one could access several other kinds of devices with a remote control which can scan fingerprint or eye and the technology could go further to media centres, laptops, desktop computers, tablets, smartphones, smart watches as well as other wearbles, including kitchen appliances, cars, gaming consoles, air conditioner, lighting systems and much more.
An example given by Apple is where both a husband and wife may tend to use a particular electronic device like a TV, computer or gaming console and both may have their own respective settings. These could be volume level, screen saver, screen layout, brightness and contrast levels. On scanning of the fingerprint or retina of the husband, the remote control could activate his settings and doing the same for his wife would provide her customized settings.

Another example would be that the TV, media player or any other electronic device could recommend particular content like TV shows, music, movies and video games established on the biometric scan while the third example is a TV with a remote control for a general user could reconfigure itself with specific content as well as setting that is already connected with the person on a different TV, when the person has been acknowledged through a fingerprint or retinal scan.

Biometric Technology Adaptable/Universal

Existing devices already enable the user in creating individual profiles and identify them through certain forms of recognition, for instance, the Xbox Kinect of Microsoft is capable of identifying a person through a body scan.

However, presuming that Apple’s remote control creation would make headway, this kind of biometric technology could be more adaptable and universal in recognizing or identifying quickly. As in the case with all Apple patent applications, it is unknown if the company intends to ship biometric capable remote or something else.

Apple has planned to launch an all new remote with built-in touchpad along with an expected Apple TV hardware update, an important time to introduce Touch ID to the set-top streamer according to recent rumours. It is widely debated as to when exactly that revision is due though some reports have indicated that it could probably be this fall.