Smart (Head)Phones

First, they invented smartphones. Now, those wizards at Apple are working on world’s first Smart Headphones.

Earlier this month, Apple announced that the company received a US Patent & Trade Office patent on a set of headphones containing embedded sensors  that can detect a variety of bio-signals including heart rate, temperature, and perspiration. The company plans to produce smart over-ear ‘phones as well as earbuds that consumers can use in conjunction with self-monitoring apps on their iPhones. ‘

Apple-patented-smart-earphonesThe idea for smart headphones is not new. Apparently, the patent application was filed in 2008. Nor is Apple the only company exploring the use of headphones as fitness monitoring devices. According to an article on the TechCrunch blog, a company called The Dash started a Kickstarter fundraising project to crowd-source capital for a headphone-based fitness device the company hopes to market later this year.

But Apple is clearly positioning for a serious foray into the health and fitness space. The company has created a new app tentatively called Healthbook, which will allow iPhone users to track their steps taken, miles walked/run, caloric burn, blood pressure, hydration levels, and other biometrics.

People will also be able to use the app–which will be a standard component in Apple’s new iOS 8 operating system–to record and schedule their meds.

END

 

 
Subscribe to Holistic Primary Care