Tech Planet learned that on April 19, Apple's patent for "vein scanning devices for automatic gestures and finger recognition" was granted.
The patent abstract shows that the device contains sensors to capture images of the user's hands, the device converts the images into digital representations, and the digital images of veins can be correlated with posture. Depending on the pose, the device determines the user's gesture, finger position, and acts as an input command. Examples presented include the use of user input commands in virtual reality applications.