People around the world have been self-isolating at home in order to curb the spread of COVID-19, many companies have been switching their paradigms to fit the new way of the world. From Uber diverting more resources into its food delivery programme as the rides business dwindles, and now Apple patenting a new software that would allow people to take group selfies while keeping social distancing from one another.
The US Patent and Trademark Office recently granted Apple a patent for the software that would allow for “synthetic group selfies,” or socially distant group selfies.
PatentlyApple says that the patent was amongst a series of 57 newly granted patents for Apple published by the US Patent and Trademark Office.
How it works
The software would allow a user to invite others to participate in the synthetic, or virtual group selfie. The participants would be arranged around the first person’s room virtually as if they were all in the same image. It would remove the background image from other users’ selfies and place them into the user’s photo.
While it appears that Apple launched the patent as a response to the pandemic, and to the world self-isolating, the tech giant originally filed for the patent in 2018, according to CNN. Only to receive it last week on 2 June.
Whether or not Apple continues to develop this software is yet to be seen. It would be considerably difficult to eliminate the backgrounds from the selfies of users, taking into account real-world dynamics such as light, for example. Even matching users within the virtual selfie in a way that appears natural would entail a lengthy process to achieve.
However, if the software is achieved and it works as intended, it would be a technologically wondrous method to connect with friends and loved ones and to create memories with people while maintaining social distancing.
Edited by Luis Monzon
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