Google has submitted a trademark application for the word “WorldSense,” which may hint at the company’s standalone virtual reality (VR) headset that’s been the subject of several industry rumors in recent months. The application was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on May 9 and has yet to be granted, though the lack of similar trademarks in the field of consumer electronics indicates that the Mountain View-based tech giant will have no issues with acquiring this particular trademark. Once approved, the Alphabet-owned company will be able to use the term as “Worldsense,” “WorldSense,” and “WORLDSENSE” for commercial products and services.
The entry detailing Google’s application reveals that WorldSense is meant to denote a solution related to computer hardware and software, as well as VR headsets. While the same is technically true of all trademarks related to smartphone-powered head-mounted displays like the Google Cardboard, Daydream View, and the Gear VR, recent reports suggest that the Internet giant is working on a standalone headset that’s more similar to the likes of the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. Given the timing of the application, it’s possible that WorldSense ends up being the name of the company’s first smartphone-free VR headset. Industry insiders previously claimed that the head-mounted display Google is currently developing will feature some unconventional tracking mechanisms that will be able to track more than just a user’s head without extra peripherals like the Vive Controllers, which might be related to the WorldSense trademark that sounds like a suitable name for some kind of a highly advanced sensory technology.
According to recent reports, the Mountain View-based firm is planning to unveil its first standalone VR headset at Google I/O 2017, the latest iteration of its annual developer conference that’s scheduled to start later today. The conference will open with a traditional keynote during which Google’s Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai and several other Googlers are expected to outline all of the major products and services that the Alphabet-owned company will be demonstrating over the course of the next three days, meaning that the announcement of whatever WorldSense is might be happening in just a few hours. The Google I/O 2017 keynote is starting at 10 AM PST.