Apple recently filed a patent for the next-generation Apple Pencil, which has a built-in optical sensor that captures both color and texture. This technology could make the Apple Pencil more than just a stylus for note-taking and artistic creation. With the ability to gather inspiration from the colors and textures of real-life objects, the device could serve as a reference tool for artists to build their own library of hues and textures to use in their projects.
This feature, which is reminiscent of the popular “dropper” tool in graphics software, allows users to easily capture and utilize the color of patterns.
According to the patent filing, the Apple Pencil’s color sensor system will be able to capture the color of external objects and potentially measure their texture and other features related to their appearance. The light emitter in the new Apple Pencil may also be adjustable and have a customizable spectrum. This spectrum can be adjusted during color-sensing measurements based on factors such as ambient light color.
The intensity of the light emitter can also be modulated during the measurement process. In addition, during the color sensing process, an inertial measurement unit can be used to measure the angle between the stylus and the surface being measured, and the texture of the surface can be measured by collecting light from the surface at this angle. These measurements can then be transmitted wirelessly to a companion device, such as an iPad, for use in applications such as drawing software.
As of now, the next-generation features of the Apple Pencil described in the patent are purely theoretical, and it is unclear whether Apple plans to include them in a redesigned version of the Apple Pencil. However, more than four years have passed since the release of the second-generation Apple Pencil, so it’s possible that the company is considering an update to the product.
In the past, Apple has also filed patents for other pencil-related technologies, such as removable custom nibs and nibs with rotating elements and multiple touch-sensitive zones on the body of the pen, and it remains to be seen when these ideas from the patents will be incorporated into future versions of the Apple Pencil.
