Apple patents eye tracking that reads pupil size to detect user intent
Apple describes a method where a device uses sensors to track a user's eye movement and pupil size while they view content. By analyzing changes in pupil dilation alongside where the user is looking, the system can detect when a user is interested in or intending to interact with a specific item on the screen. This data is then used to automatically trigger a response, such as selecting an item, without the user needing to physically touch the device.
In the filing’s own words
One exemplary implementation provides an improved user experience on a device by using physiological data to initiate a user interaction for the user experience based on an identified interest or intention of a user. For example, a sensor may obtain physiological data (e.g., pupil diameter) of a user during a user experience in which content is displayed on a display. The physiological data varies over time during the user experience and a pattern is detected. The detected pattern is used to identify an interest of the user in the content or an intention of the user regarding the content. The user interaction is then initiated based on the identified interest or the identified intention.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A method comprising: at a device comprising a processor, a computer-readable storage medium, a display, and a sensor: obtaining pupil dilation data and gaze direction data of a user while content is displayed on the display, the pupil dilation data and gaze direction data obtained using the one or more sensors and varying over time during the display of the content; based on the pupil dilation data and gaze direction data, identifying a user interaction with an item in the content, wherein: the gaze direction data is used to identify that the user is looking at the item; and a peak pattern in the pupil dilation data is selectively used, based on variability of ambient light represented in an exogenous signal during the peak pattern, to identify that the user is interacting with the item; and initiating a response to the user interaction with the item.
Facts
- Company
- Apple (Apple Inc.)
- Official title
- PUPIL MODULATION AS A COGNITIVE CONTROL SIGNAL
- Publication number
- US20260299689A1
- Application number
- 19696668
- Filed
- Jun 3, 2026
- Published
- Oct 1, 2026
- Inventors
- 6
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
G06F 3/015 Physics & computingG06F 3/147 Physics & computingG06V 40/193 Physics & computingG06F 3/012 Physics & computingG06F 3/013 Physics & computingG06F 3/017 Physics & computingMore from Apple in AI & software
- Apple patents AI that acts on voicemails for you Oct 15, 2026
- Apple patents letting users teach custom hand gestures to their devices Oct 22, 2026
- Apple patents AI that acts on voicemails for you Sep 1, 2026
- Apple patents video tool that swaps focus between subjects after filming Oct 20, 2026
- Apple patents system that changes room ambience based on what you look at Sep 3, 2026
Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.