Apple patent suggests gestures used to control devices from a distance

While there are video editing tools for iOS devices, the fact of the matter is that it’s a bit hard to edit videos on such small screens, plus sometimes touching the screen can cause unintentional editing which can ultimately lead to frustration. A new patent by Apple has suggested a way for iOS users to edit videos on their devices through the use of gestures without having to touch the device itself.

These gestures can be picked up via infrared sensors, optical sensors or other methods, and it’s even been suggested that these gestures can be used in conjunction with or as a replacement to traditional touchscreen-based gestures, meaning that it can be used outside of video editing.

For instance, the iPhone or iPad can be used as a “control device” for a remote camera, such as an iPhone being used to record a video, which will then sent wirelessly to an iPad where the user can view the video in real time and make adjustments accordingly. In a way we could liken this method to Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect whereby gestures are used to control the game or to make selections, but let’s hope that Apple won’t be stepping on anyone’s toes here.