Google files patent for a smart, motorized laptop lid with face-detection feature

Apparently, Google is planning to step up its game in the PC/laptop industry. The company has filed a patent for a smart, motorized lid for a Pixelbook-type device.

So what's so special about this lid? According to the patent, the lid will be able to detect if a user is nearby and then open up to the right orientation. Moreover, it will even unlock the device when required. The lid will also be capable of keeping track of a user's face so that it can stay aligned to that face. Reported by Patently Mobile, Google filed the original patent back in 2013.

The patent application gives us a quite a fair idea of how many interesting features could we see on a laptop lid in future. As we have mentioned earlier, the ability of the lid to detect when a user is nearby. Presumably, the laptop lid will be able to do this with the use of a wide-angle rear camera, a proximity sensor, or a Bluetooth sensor. To authenticate and open the lid, a user might have to tap a special area on the lid.

The patent further explains, when open, the front camera on the device's lid will track a user's face to position it at the perfect angle. Not just face-detection, the device will also have the object-detection feature to determine what it is facing at and adjust the orientation of the panel accordingly.

Interestingly, the lid might even understand that it is facing at a user's torso and then open further to capture the face. The lid could also track a user's face in real-time to adjust to the perfect angle.

Besides this, the lid will also be able to understand the absence of a user. When there is no user, the lid will close automatically. It will additionally be capable of understanding when a user is walking with the device.

While the patent is really intriguing, we are not sure if it will finally turn into reality.

Via