New Delhi, July 12 -- Apple appears to be working on a next-generation Apple Pencil that could redefine how we interact with digital devices, not just by touching screens, but by writing or sketching in the air or on any surface.

According to a newly published patent filing spotted by Patently Apple, Apple is developing a stylus that may function independently of a screen, potentially allowing users to write, draw, and gesture in mid-air. The patent outlines the use of advanced motion-sensing technologies that could turn the Apple Pencil into a freeform input device.

The document describes the use of optical flow sensors or laser speckle flow sensors, similar to those found in optical mice, to track the movement of the Pencil across a w...