We don't know when the iPhone 6 will be launched but the rumor mill has already kicked off the speculations for the next-generation iPhone. Latest rumors indicate that iPhone 6 may have sonar mapping abilities, similar to what we've seen in the movie 'The Dark Knight.'

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The possible feature comes to light after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that showed that the company is considering adding hidden audio sensors into the displays of its iDevices, including the iPhone.

The details of the on how the sensors will be used is not known, but rumors suggest that Apple may use them to create sonar-maps like in the movie The Dark Knight.

"Remember how Batman took Lucius' sonar concept and applied it to every cellphone in Gotham to create a huge sonar-based live map to find The Joker? Here's a refresher if you don't, but yeah, the Apple concept is kind of like that High Frequency Generator idea, only on a smaller scale," reported CultOfMac.

CultOfMac further reorted "The patent indicates that Apple wants to detect audio waves through a display assembly. The display assembly may include a screen and at least one electromagnetic energy emitter configured to direct energy at an inside surface of the screen. The patent also states that at least one sensor could be configured to sense the emitted energy after it's been reflected back. Altogether this new technology will allow Apple to make thinner iPhones with more advanced sensors."

Apple can use the technology for proximity detection which will turn off touchscreen features when the iPhone is near a user's face. The technology could also be used to detect large objects and build a 3D generated map to assist people in the dark.

The technology may be able to aid those who do not have proper vision by alerting them of upcoming objects in their path.

It is difficult to identify the exact extent to which the technology will be deployed in the next-generation iPhone; however, with the latest patent it seems that Apple is thinking of launching a high-tech next-generation iPhone.

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