Apple Scores New Heart Rate Monitor Patent
Apple has filed a new patent in Europe for a highly advanced biometric authentication system, and a key figure used in the patent filing suggests it’s intended for the Apple Watch.
The system is based on plethysmography, and essentially revolves around using light sensors to detect changes in the user’s blood flow. …
This is actually pretty much the system currently in use in the Apple Watch… The twist on this new patent filing is that the system combines these light readings with motion detection, and both biometrics can be stored for later authentication. In other words, it sounds like a multimodal authentication system based on gesture and vascular biometrics.
“Authentication” is a red herring. Instead, Apple is inching ever closer to the dream.
[Image via iFixit. For specifics of this new technology and coverage of even more heart rate sensor patents coming out of Cupertino, visit Patently Apple.]