Apple Vision Pro headset could show people wearing strange glasses, patent suggests

Demonstrations have only included relatively normal eyes so far

(Getty Images)

Apple considered showing love hearts and special Zoom glasses on people wearing its upcoming augmented reality headset, patents suggest.

Last summer, Apple unveiled the long awaited Vision Pro headset. One of its top features was named EyeSight by Apple, and uses a screen on the outside of the headset to show other people what is happening inside.

During the products reveal, the uses of that screen were relatively modest. Users’ eyes would show if they were looking out into the real world, or a blur of colours would be displayed when the Vision Pro’s wearer was in full virtual reality.

However, the company appears to have considered showing a range of different information on that screen, according to a new patent filing reporting by Patently Apple.

Just like the real version of EyeSight, the new patent shows information about what is happening inside of the headset to those outside of it. However, the range of information is far deeper, including a picture of a holiday or a blunt message reading “DO NOT DISTURB”.

(Apple)

While Apple did show off the EyeSight feature during its introductory video, it has not been part of the demonstrations since. When it was unveiled to the press, the headset simply showed swirling colours, and the eyes have not been shown during other demonstrations.

Apple has said that the EyeSight feature is intended to “help users stay connected with those around them”.

‘When a person approaches someone wearing Vision Pro, the device feels transparent — letting the user see them while also displaying the user’s eyes. When a user is immersed in an environment or using an app, EyeSight gives visual cues to others about what the user is focused on,” it said in its announcement.