Google has seemingly grown tired of the need to summon AI assistants like Gemini using a hotword or button press and is reportedly working on a new way to summon the chatbot.
As per a report by Android Headlines, citing a new patent, Google is working on a technology that will automatically launch the AI assistant when the phone senses it is close to the user’s face.
Reportedly, the technology takes advantage of the existing hardware on a smartphone, i.e., the capacitive sensor grid used by the touchscreen. The sensors are responsible for detecting finger touches using changes in the electrical field. However, Google seems to have figured out that these sensors can also be used to sense nearby objects like your face or hand, even without actual contact.
When you bring your phone close to your mouth or face, the screen’s sensor grid picks up a big, wide pattern change in the electric field. The system analyzes this specific pattern and recognizes it as a signal that “the user’s face is near.”
Theoretically, once the phone is confident about registering your face, it will automatically wake up Gemini AI, making the need for a hotword or key presses redundant.
Most phones nowadays have started to come with a sort of dedicated AI key or a customizable button which can be used to trigger Gemini. Meanwhile, hotwords like ‘Hey Google’ have become common parlance for most Android users.
However, it can be difficult to wake up the AI assistant when the user is wearing a mask or when they are in a crowded environment with a lot of noise around.
The new approach will make it easier and quicker to summon Gemini. Meanwhile, since the system works on low-power capacitive sensors, it is not expected to put a significant strain on the phone’s battery either. The report adds that Gemini activation by the new method is also expected to become smarter and more accurate over time.
We have no clarity on when the feature will be available on Android devices, and the report itself is based only on a patent.
