The next Apple Watch could measure your blood pressure — here's how

The side by side Apple Watch could mensurate your claret pressure — here's how

(Epitome credit: Future)

It's no secret that Apple is extremely interested in the health applications of its technology. The Apple tree Lookout has been capable of giving electrocardiograms and detecting irregular centre rhythms since the Apple Picket Series iv, and more health checks are supposedly on the style in the Apple Watch 8.

Now a new patent, uncovered by AppleInsider, shows how a future Apple tree Sentinel could mensurate blood force per unit area, without needing to attach one of those inflating cuffs.

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Although wrist-based wearables are never mentioned, the Apple tree Watch would seem the virtually sensible destination. The patent, entitled "Stretchable Blood Pressure level Cuff", explains how a stretchy band could secure an inflatable float against the trunk, "compressing one or more blood vessels in the limb and restricting and/or stopping blood flow through the vessels." The resulting information could exist "used to decide one or more physiological parameters of a user such as claret pressure level of the user."

Information technology would work via "a float assembly configured to retain a fluid within an internal sleeping accommodation."

It sounds a bit uncomfortable, but then so is using a claret pressure level measuring cuff at the best of times. The advantage here is that you lot wouldn't need whatsoever extra equipment, and as the patent explains "in some cases, it might be desirable to habiliment the monitoring device for longer periods of fourth dimension such that physiological measurements can be performed periodically or continuously."

Notably, Apple wouldn't be the showtime visitor to introduce claret pressure monitoring, merely this is the first time that the apparatus would resemble that found in a doctor'southward office. The Samsung Galaxy Scout 3 introduced a characteristic to measure this, just when I tested it, I was advised that I needed to recalibrate it with a regular blood pressure cuff once a month to ensure information technology maintained accurateness, which is invasive in its ain way.

Wrist claret pressure monitors be, but non everyone is convinced that they're equally authentic every bit an arm-based cuff. "To go an accurate reading when taking your blood pressure with a wrist monitor, your arm and wrist must be at eye level," writes Sheldon M. Sheps, MD on the Mayo Clinic website, as spotted by an AppleInsider commenter. "Fifty-fifty so, blood pressure measurements taken at the wrist are normally higher and less accurate than those taken at your upper arm. That's because the wrist arteries are narrower and not as deep under your pare as those of the upper arm."

There's as well the question of how Apple tree can build a strap that's simultaneously stretchy enough to compensate for a blood pressure bladder and look inconspicuous, which could make or break the feature. Simply, as AppleInsider noted, the patent details don't look a million miles away from the Apple tree Watch seven on a Leather Link band:

A clip from the patent vs the Apple Watch 7 with current strap — (Epitome credit: Apple Insider / Apple)

A patent is but a patent, and in that location's no guarantee this will e'er be produced in a commercial production. Merely it's an interesting insight into Apple's possible solutions in making the Apple Watch a surrogate physician on your wrist, yet.

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Freelance contributor Alan has been writing virtually tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in betwixt. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are institute all over the web and in the occasional magazine as well. When non weighing upwards the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, y'all'll probably find him tackling his e'er-growing games excess. Or, more likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth fourth dimension.