Patents & Alternative Use of AP, page-2

A while back AP signalled (excuse the pun) that the ultrasonic pulses emitted by the chip enabled it to be used for a variety of functions unrelated to music delivery. These include sensing and tracking the position and movement of objects in space that could be used for gesture sensing and recognition. These would be part of the chips ability to beam controlled music/sound/speech to individual listeners etc. One presumes that a MEMS microphone array and smart software would be needed to receive and interpret the reflected echoes.

There are lots of things you could do with this. And AP undoubtedly intends to make as much use of these capabilities as it can.

Think computer gesture recognition far in advance of the Wii console. Imagine manipulating simulated objects on screen or, when coupled with VR headsets and glasses, hovering in space.

As I understand it, the Bar Ilan group is only using the chip to send tangible ("feelable") audio pressure pulses to the eye's front surface in a way that stimulates the eye to send "pseudo optical" signals to the brain using its own optic nerve. The brain interprets this to build an "image" so the individual can "see" again. The optical image itself comes from a camera. This is presumably turned into an optical/haptic "map" that is sent to the chip via Bar Ilan's own controller.