The ambitious design shows a strap that can be worn on the finger for gesture controls
Huawei is exploring an ambitious new take on mixed-reality wearables, according to a newly spotted patent.
The filing, lodged with China’s NIPA, details AR/VR glasses featuring a detachable, finger-worn strap that can be used as a smart ring. This concept describes a two-in-one system designed to solve the input problem for AR/VR.
When detached from the headset’s arm, the strap functions as a ring controller. As detailed in the patent, it would use gesture recognition, inertial sensors, and pointing capabilities to allow the user to navigate the headset’s interface and interact with virtual objects, effectively replacing a traditional handheld controller.
(Image credit: CNIPA)
When the user is finished, the patent describes the ring magnetically docking back onto the glasses’ arm. In this ‘docked’ state, it would handle simpler inputs, such as tapping and swiping, while automatically recharging.
This modular design is a genuinely novel solution to one of the biggest challenges in AR/VR. While Meta relies on controllers and Apple’s Vision Pro relies solely on hand and eye tracking (which isn’t ideal for all interactions), Huawei’s concept offers a hybrid. It provides the tactile, physical feedback of a controller without forcing the user to carry a separate, dedicated object.
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At this point, CN120871434A is just a patent. However, it does give a peek into some of the immersive technology experiments Huawei has in the pipeline—and serves as another indication that the company is setting its sights on what the future of AR and VR interaction will look like.
If this concept takes shape, we might just see Huawei debuting its next-generation AR/VR ecosystem (perhaps with that detachable smart ring) sooner rather than later.