Proximity sensors are something that is a standard on smartphones ever since touchscreens came along as they help to avoid accidental input when calling or when the phone is in your pocket. The issue however is that they ruin the phone’s design and aesthetics especially on lighter coloured phones.
A new technology called “BEAUTY” from Elliptic Labs promises to get rid of your phone’s black “beauty spot” that lies above the display on most phones. The technology is based on software rather than hardware and as a result doesn’t require any physical hardware to help it achieve what a proximity sensor normally does.
The technology makes use of the phones earpiece and microphone to achieve the same results as a proximity sensor. However, this technology can also be used to do more than just dim your screen.
It can even be used to track hand gestures thanks to the ultrasonic technology. Other companies have brought about similar technology in the past too but none of them have brought down the hardware needed to such a basic level such as a microphone and earpiece. These two components won’t be going off our phones at least for sometime so this technology could be embraced pretty soon by manufacturers since it will definitely be a boost to their phones design.