A new patent sheds more light on Apple's AR/VR ambitions

While Apple's AR/VR ambitions are no secret, the company has revealed little about its project under development. Thanks to a new patent application, from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, we finally have some crucial bits about what's cooking at Apple.

The patent shows an "Optical System for Head-mounted Display", a series of lenses designed to point images into the wearer's eyes, wrapped in a unit that's intended to be less bulky and less heavy than some of the other headsets currently available like like Microsoft’s HoloLens and Facebook-owned Oculus VR’s Rift headset. This, according to Apple, might help reduce fatigue and allow for longer periods of use.

Apple proposes its device use what’s called a catadioptric system, which uses curved mirrors and lenses to combine refraction and reflection into a single system. Catadioptric systems form the basis of optical telescopes, microscopes, and telephoto lenses. Using the system, Apple may be able to do away with the magnifying lenses used in standard VR headsets to blow up images large enough for users to see. That could, in theory, reduce the weight of such a product and help slim down its design in the process.

It is, however, important to note that patent doesn't necessarily mean that the product will make it to the market. But, one thing is for sure that Apple is going about its AR/VR ambitions pretty seriously and we may see a lighter, more comfortable VR headset in the near future from Apple's stable.