Google’s next Chromebook might feature an auto-adjusting hinge

Google’s newest Pixelbook is a hard product to recommend since it’s hard to imagine someone willingly spending $1K on a device that features ChromeOS and a questionable design, even if it is a Google Product. Google’s premium Chromebook efforts have always felt a little overpriced and under-delivered, but a new patent discovered could be changing that soon.

The folks over at Patently Mobile discovered the patent at the USPTO and it appears to showcase a hinge that is capable of moving the lid between open and closed positions at different angles.

A variety of sensors in the laptop determine whether the user is at the correct distance for the top to pop open and appears to rely on face detection in order to adjust the angle to the proper viewing angle when a user is nearby and interacting with the device. Touching a specific part of the Chromebook will close the lid automatically, which seems ripe for abuse.

So how does it do all that when the lid is already closed? The patent filing suggests the computer might include a rear camera and proximity sensor for detecting when you’re close to interacting with the device. People already put tape over their laptop cameras when they’re open so I can’t imagine privacy nuts feeling okay with a rear-facing camera that is capable of capturing images.

What do you think?