LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-A recent patent application released by the US Patent Office (USPTO) suggests that Apple’s truly wireless stereo (TWS) headphones might one day serve as a health monitoring device.
The Cupertino business appears to have developed a sensor system for the AirPods that would enable the headphones to track electrical impulses coming from the user’s brain.
The patent describes a system that may monitor brain activity. Normally, this is done by placing electrodes on a patient’s head, but using AirPods may make this process more covert.
A wearable electronic device, similar to Apple’s AirPods, is described in a recent patent published on the USPTO website.
It has electrodes, just like more conventional devices used to track biosignals like brain activity, such as electroencephalography, electrooculography, galvanic skin response, blood volume pulse, and electromyography.
This would make it possible for someone using AirPods to keep an eye on their brain activity while they’re on the go without using a device.
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The AirPods are likely to move once they are implanted in a user’s ear, unlike conventional EEG monitors that are affixed to a user’s head.
The patent outlines a system that includes active and reference electrodes on the exterior of the AirPods’ body, as well as many extra electrodes placed at various locations on the eartip, to take into account the fact that ear shape and size might vary.
The wearable electronic device “includes a sensor circuit and a switching circuit,” according to Apple’s patent abstract.
A variety of distinct subsets of one or more electrodes in the set of electrodes can be electrically connected to the sensor circuit using the switching circuit.
The manufacturer has provided a design of the alleged gadget that indicates the location of the electrodes on the wireless headphones, despite the fact that the description may seem a bit hazy.
According to Apple’s patent application, these AirPods will include interchangeable eartips. The application also specified a system that enables a user to tap a specific area of the earphone’s body to begin measuring biosignals.
The document suggests that the functionality could also be supported on wired earphones like EarPods or a pair of glasses — the reference and active electrodes would be placed on the first and second stems of the glasses — while showing the location of the electrodes on the eartip and the touch-sensitive area from a different angle.
It is not yet apparent whether Apple intends to add the capability to assess biosignals to its well-known AirPods and other wearable gadgets, but a recent report claims that the firm is looking into methods to include additional health functions like temperature tracking into its headphones.
Additionally, Apple is apparently working on methods to improve its current health monitoring devices. Non-invasive blood sugar monitoring is reportedly being added to the Apple Watch, and it is anticipated that it will appear in a later edition of the wearable technology.