Future Apple Watch models may use sweat to monitor your health

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A patent application filed by Apple reveals the company is in the process of developing a brand-new feature that may come to life with future Apple Watches. 

The patent application is titled “Wearable Devices With Perspiration Measurement Capabilities.”

To summarize, Apple plans to use the Apple Watch wearer’s sweat to determine the user’s health. The patent application also accompanies illustrations that show how the feature would work. 

We are far from this Apple Watch feature becoming a reality

According to the patent application Apple filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office(via PatentlyApple),

Other embodiments are directed to a device for calculating a perspiration metric of a user, where the device includes a housing having a skin-facing exterior surface, a perspiration sensor that includes a first electrode and a second electrode, and a processor configured to calculate the perspiration metric using the perspiration sensor.

Apple further adds that there would be a second perspiration sensor and data from this sensor will be used to determine the perspiration metric, which will be stored in the Apple Watch locally. 

The application also reveals that when Apple Watch users perform exercises like walking, running, etc, the device may be able to compute and estimate a sweat rate. 

“over a first interval of time corresponding to the exercise session. This will help the user know about “the total fluid loss over the course of the session.”

Another addition will be short interval readings. Apple Watch will be able to deliver an instantaneous sweat rate that may take more or less 5 seconds. 

Users will be able to determine the rate of their fluid loss at any given time during an exercise using this instant reading. In addition, they will also be able to figure out the total fluid loss during a specific exercise session. 

That said, not every filed patent application results in a new patent, and not every patent becomes a new feature. 

So, we are far from this feature becoming a reality on Apple Watches. Also, the company has to think of a catchy name that doesn’t make users think of sweat.

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