Ultrahuman Patent Details Dual-Ring Controls for AR
Ultrahuman is exploring technology that could allow smart rings to track movement in three-dimensional space and recognise gestures for use with augmented reality smart glasses. A patent filing outlines a system in which two rings, worn one on each hand, could provide positional data and gesture input for an AR interface.
Wareable submitted the filing to the United States Patent and Trademark Office. It covers 3D positional tracking and gesture recognition using two smart rings rather than a single device. Ultrahuman currently makes the Ring Pro and Ring AIR.
Under the system outlined in the filing, the rings would transmit movement data via Bluetooth to an augmented reality environment. The information could then control a digital interface. The design also includes a touch-sensitive component as an additional input method.
The filing places the ring technology in the context of augmented reality hardware. It shows that Ultrahuman has examined how its wearable devices could interact with smart glasses. The company already sells Faraday eyewear designed to block blue light and protect circadian rhythms.
A search of USPTO records found no other similar patents for gesture tracking involving AR glasses.
Smart glasses are intended in part to reduce the bulk associated with traditional headsets. Using a ring as a controller provides another compact form of wearable hardware. Even Realities already uses a ring-and-glasses pairing with its G2 smart glasses and R1 smart ring.
The Ultrahuman filing addresses limitations in systems that rely on external cameras, sensors, or markers to track movement and gestures. Lighting conditions and occlusion can interfere with such systems. External equipment can also restrict mobility and limit where the technology can be used.
The proposed wearable system uses smart rings to provide 3D positional tracking and gesture recognition without relying on external tracking equipment. Wearing one ring on each hand is intended to increase the flexibility and range of available gestures.
Ultrahuman’s current products already contain a six-axis motion sensor used to map activity and sleep. The patent describes an inertial measurement unit, or IMU, in each ring to record six-axis motion data continuously and provide it to a central processing unit.
The motion data include accelerometer readings across three axes (ax, ay, and az) and gyroscope readings across three axes (gx, gy, and gz). Timestamps are also recorded with the sensor data.
The two rings would communicate through a Bluetooth Low Energy connection. This would allow their motion data to be monitored collectively or independently. The rings could transmit data to a user device in real time or at a predefined frequency.
A raw position-tracking module would use the six-axis IMU data to determine the user’s position within a three-dimensional environment. The system would use the motion information recorded by the rings for positional tracking and gesture recognition.
The motion-sensing hardware in Ultrahuman’s existing products already provides six-axis data. However, the touch-sensitive input described in the filing would require a new model. The technical demands of augmented reality also differ from the way current ring data are handled.
Captured data from Ultrahuman’s present products can take a few seconds to synchronise with the companion application. AR applications require millisecond precision and real-time spatial processing. Latency is therefore a hardware consideration for real-time use of the system described in the filing.
The filing does not establish that a commercial product is imminent. It describes technology for using two smart rings for 3D positional tracking, gesture recognition and interaction with an augmented reality environment.
