According to a document published by the United States Patent Office, Google has filed for a patent for “Gesture Recognition On Watch Bezel Using Strain Gauges.” Although the patent was granted on October 3, 2023, the company filed it on November 22, 2022. Per the document, there are six inventors behind the technology that involves detecting raw sensor signals and recognition based on force, position, velocity, and UX responses.
A Buttonless Pixel Watch Could Be Around The Corner
The patent suggests that the Pixel Watch 3 could come with a special housing along the inner periphery of the smartwatch that houses one or more sensors that can be programmed to detect gestures. Further, the watch could have one or more processors to determine the type of gesture and execute a related command. From what it looks like, the next Pixel Watch will support multiple gestures like presses, taps, swipes, and even squeezes.
Per the images attached in the patent, the upcoming Pixel Watch could ship without a crown. Instead, the technology will enable users to perform tasks such as navigation, turning the volume up/down, returning to the home screen, or going back to the last interface by pressing specific parts of the watch’s periphery. The patent also contains an image where a user presses both edges of the screen to open a notification or pause a song.
While these changes would give the Pixel Watch a cleaner look, Google admits in the patent that manufacturing such a smartwatch is more complicated than a regular watch with a crown and physical buttons. As with every other patent, there’s a chance that this technology will never actually make it to a Pixel Watch, which is why readers should take this information with a pinch of salt.
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