In a recent patent granted to the company, it has come to light that Samsung has patented a drone that can detect facial features, pupil motions, hand gestures, and position of a person and respond in real-time. The device, which includes an integrated display, has four propellers – one on each corner – for levitation and motion, and will also include an integrated obstacle detection system that will help it fly smoothly after automatically detecting and avoiding obstacles in its way.
The patent mentions that the drone has a camera and observation system that transmits information to a central control unit. The camera can track users’ eyes, head, hands, and fingers in real-time, and respond in real-time to pre-programmed gestures. According to the patent, it would be possible to control the drone’s flight speed and direction simply by moving and gesturing with one’s eyes, head, hands, and fingers, allowing for intuitive real-time control. The patent also mentions a “joint manipulator” that will be used to change the inclination of the drone’s flight path. The entire unit can be reconfigured to fit different forms beyond that of a standard quadcopter.
The patent application, titled ‘Flying display drone’, was originally filed in Korea in April 2015, then with the USPTO in early 2016, and was granted on February 13, 2018. The patent is believed to include designs for potential inclusion of additional systems on the drone, including a gyroscope sensor, a motion sensor, a vibration system, and/or an accelerometer. There also appear to be indications for possible inclusion of voice recognition capabilities, as well as GPS and a WiFi-based positioning system.
This is not Samsung’s first drone patent. A patent filed in June 2017 for Samsung’s next generation of its Gear VR headset hinted at possible linkages for photo-capturing with drones. The patent indicated that the Gear VR would be able to work with future company drone devices that could be controlled either directly from the headset or through other input features. This is also not the first drone design to use gestures as a control mechanism; in mid-2017, Chinese tech firm DJI released the design for the DJI Spark, a drone that you can control with hand gestures.
Images: LETSGODIGITAL
Source: YOURSTORY