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According to some recent patents published by Apple, they want you to be able to control your touch devices not only with your finger but with your fingernails and gestures as well. Many of these patents credit either John Elias or Wayne Westerman, both of whom founded FingerWorks, a company that Apple got ahold of in 2005. For example, one patent describes a technology that could decipher between different body parts by analyzing the pixel values of the area touched.

Another patent further describes a new method of touch technology. The user could not only use the skin on his finger to activate a menu, but could flip his finger over to use his fingernail to apply pressure and bring up a different menu. And finally, Apple seems to realize that all of these different touching techniques may become too confusing. A third patent allows for hand gestures to control devices, and it could work by following the color trail left behind by the hand. Although this idea isn’t new, I’m sure Apple could execute it in an innovative way.

These are all very interesting ideas, but we must remember they are just patents. Apple tends to get patents that are never put into context. I suppose we will just have to wait and see if our iTablet ever does come out.

Via [AppleInsider]