Huawei patent reveals air gesture control system for rollable phones

Roll-up telephones promise the convenience of a tablet in the form factor of a conventional smartphone. But controlling how and when that screen expands is apparently the next battlefield in development. Huawei has now developed a solution based on gesture recognition.

Per a new patent discovered by LetsGoDigital, Huawei continues to build on its roll-up phone patents with its latest documentation and provides further explanation of how a user can potentially control it.

For starters, Huawei could allow users to control screen expansion with physical finger movements, complete with haptic feedback and audio warnings. However, the company also describes a method for controlling aerial gestures. Users could activate the screen by swiping their hands over a camera or dedicated sensor. The sensor then translates that movement to either retract or expand the display. Notably, Huawei’s gesture system could also allow users to slow down or speed up the scrolling speed of the screen. This can be done by holding a certain number of fingers over the sensor.

Huawei has already experimented with hand gesture controls on its Mate series. It’s designed for users who want to use their devices hands-free, but it could be more useful on a larger device like a retractable smartphone. In certain situations it can be more fluid to activate a display with a free hand movement instead of using two hands on the device.

See also: Oppo’s roll-up phone is pure magic and I can’t wait to buy one

This is by no means the first roll-up phone patent we’ve seen from Huawei. Earlier documentation described a phone with a wraparound display, while another set detailed the operating system of the display.

There’s no telling if or when Huawei will launch a roll-up phone. If you can orientate yourself on the flow of patents, it is by no means a dead project.