Overview

• U.S. Patent No. 12,353,649 describes a next-generation Apple Pencil equipped with onboard optical sensors for tracking motion, orientation and position in three-dimensional space.
• The patent outlines the use of optical flow sensors and laser speckle flow sensors to capture movement without requiring contact with a capacitive touchscreen.
• One embodiment features a trackball tip monitored by internal optical sensors to measure displacement, which helps prevent surface damage and improves tracking accuracy.
• The stylus is designed to detect movements while hovering up to 100 millimeters above any surface, including non-touch-sensitive materials such as wood or paper.
• Apple’s filing also envisions combining these optical sensors with inertial measurement units, force detectors and machine vision for gesture input, handwriting recognition and 3D drawing, though no commercial product has been confirmed.