Rumors of the Apple AirPods Pro 2 have been growing for some time now, but today we found a rumor too strange to be true. Apparently, the AirPods 2 can be controlled by clicking your teeth.
At least that's the speculation based on a new Apple patent discovered by Patently Apple. The patent involves using a body part to control the earbuds, and includes some strange options.
We had already heard rumors that the AirPods Pro 2 could detect hand gestures in the air, and now Apple has patented an entirely new input control. This control is described as a "through-the-body" sensor system that the AirPods Pro 2 can detect and process as a command.
The simplest description of this system is that the AirPods Pro 2 or other types of earphones can detect signals flowing in and out of a "structure" and interpret them accordingly. That structure could be various parts of the body, such as the ear canal, head, body parts, and even teeth.
"The user can make contact with external surfaces of the body, such as the skin of the face. Further examples of input actions include the user clicking their teeth or clicking their tongue," Apple's patent explains.
Less crazy options include shaking the head, moving the arms, or using both vocal and sub-vocal sounds (sounds not detectable by the human ear) to control earphones or another wearable device with a through-body sensor system.
These structures are not limited to one's body either, as the patent explains that other objects can also be used. For example, you can tap a table or squeeze someone's arm.
People around you may think that clicking your teeth is less annoying than calling Siri to do something, but having to grab someone's arm to answer a phone call (or something like that) is probably pushing things too far.
Of course, subtle non-voice commands would be very useful. However, since patents don't always translate into production, we don't know if and when such controls will be included in AirPods.
However, a simpler through-body sensor system could be included in the AirPods Pro 2, as well as an ambient light sensor to help track health and wellness. If nothing else, expect the AirPods Pro 2 to have better sound quality and improved active noise cancellation.
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