Lately, all the talk has been
about the fitness-tracking, health-monitoring smartwatch that Apple is
assumedly building. But a patent granted to Apple today shows the company wants
to get into fitness tracking not just on your wrist, but in your ear, with
sensor-laden earbuds to measure your athletic performance.
The patent, first filed in 2008,
proposes using skin-contacting sensors in earbuds or earphones to monitor body
temperature, heart rate, and perspiration, though the patent doesn't outline
the mechanics of how such sensors would work. It also suggests accelerometers,
both for activity tracking and for a possible hands-free gesture control, where
you could change tracks or adjust volume with a specific head motion.
The patent also makes passing
mention of "psychological" sensors. The official filing doesn't
expand on what this would mean or how it could be used, but AppleInsider
speculates the system could analyze biometric input to get an impression of the
user's mental state. Finally, headphones that know to queue up Adele when you
need a good cry.
Standard patent skepticism most
definitely applies here: Apple filing a patent is not any sort of guarantee that
the company will actually make the proposed ear monitors. But the idea is
pretty fascinating-putting biosensors into the headphones so many of us wear
while exercising makes a ton of sense.
Apple's been on a health tech
hiring spree, and it's obvious the company wants in on the fitness tracking
game. Looks like that ambition goes beyond wrist-worn devices.
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