In the future, people will get notification of an incoming text or email by receiving electrical impulses from their wearable device.
Microsoft filed a new patent that will fully revolutionize the way wearable devices send out signals or alerts to users. Dubbed "wearable computer having a skin-stimulating interface," the patent's abstract named things such as alarm clocks, phone calls and text messages as some of the examples that people would be "shocked" about by the device.
"Techniques are described herein that are capable of providing electrical stimuli to skin of a user to convey information to the user," said in one part of the abstract. "For instance, the electrical stimuli may inform the user of an event, condition, etc."
At present, people usually hear a sound from their smartphones in order to be notified of an incoming event. There are times when the device would also vibrate. Some even prefer getting both a sound and a vibration from their devices. Whatever the choice is, it's clear that the way people receive notifications is more like a personal preference.
The new patent filing also suggests that the technology could be extended to "bigger" wearable items such as a person's clothing. In this manner, "electrical shocks" would be sent out when the clothing detects that the wearer needs to change his physical positioning.
"A second example system includes a sensor and a power generation circuit," the patent states in the background portion of the paper. "The sensor is incorporated into clothing that is worn by a person and is in contact with skin of the person."
Microsoft believes that the new patent would put away all those fears of missing a notification. The filing also suggests that the device will have several ways for users to wear it. This include wearing it inside a shoe or a T-shirt. What the company lauds about the use of an electrical stimulus is that the device becomes totally independent of a vibrating motor and that it doesn't need to be designed with an obtrusive display in order to send out a notification.
It remains to be seen whether or not Microsoft will truly create something tangible in the future for the patent to fully serve its purpose. It may take a while for people to adopt to the so-called "smart clothing" which can communicate to the wearer. However, it may also require the company to make some powerful marketing strategy to fully convince consumers that the electrical impulses are only for sending notification which means that they are not as "dangerous" as others perceive them to be.
