New Google Patent Reveals Self-Adjusting Pixelbook Lid

The Pixelbook was unveiled back in October along with the Pixel 2 smartphones and a few other Google products. It now appears that Google is working on a new Pixelbook which will self-adjust the display angle according to the user’s face and will be activated by a touchpad.

In a new patent, a motorised lid for the Pixelbook was spotted. This lid would ensure that you wouldn’t have to exert as much physical force to use your laptop.

The patent was filed back in Q4 of 2013 but, it was only recently granted to the tech giant. It is worth noting here that one of the people credited for the patent is Ken Loo, who is a Senior Product Design Engineer who worked on the Pixel phone, Pixelbook, and as the lead engineer for Google’s self-driving car’s sensors.

Here’s how this futuristic self-adjusting Pixelbook will work: The user will tap the touchpad with a certain level of pressure or duration of time (which should be customisable), which would make the hinge motor open the lid. The front-facing camera would then track your face and make the hinge’s angle optimal for your the best viewing angle. It won’t be a surprise if face unlock is also incorporated in this laptop since highly accurate cameras or sensors will be used to track the face.

The lid will keep on adjusting itself while you use the laptop. The computer might even use a body part, or an accessory to predict the location of your face and adjust accordingly. However, if the sensors do not detect a face for x number of seconds, it would automatically close and lock itself. You’d also be able to close it via a certain motion on the touchpad.

All of this sounds great in theory but, it will be interesting to see how the implementation will done on this Pixelbook. Google’s hardware team has its plate full if it has to nail this technology and make the Pixelbook a viable option in a market where MacBooks and spec’s out PCs dominate the consumer’s mindset.